Methods and Apparatus to Mechanically Reduce Food Products into Irregular Shapes and Sizes

Abstract

Apparatus and methods of using the apparatus for manufacturing irregularly shaped and sized products, and in particular cheese irregularly shaped and sized crumbles from cheeses, such as semi-soft cheeses including types of cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey jack, Colby, pepper jack, provolone, Swiss, Mexican cheeses and any other combinations of two or more varieties. The apparatus preferably includes five knife assemblies that combine to reduce bulk cheese products into irregularly shaped and sized cheese crumbles in a high-speed commercial manufacturing process. In addition, the apparatus includes one or more augers having flights configured for working or reshaping peripheral edges of the cheese during the manufacturing process.

1 . A plurality of irregular shaped cheese crumbles made using a cheese cutting apparatus having a feed direction and according to a method comprising:
 cutting a slice from a bulk cheese product using a first knife assembly;   cutting a plurality of strips from the slice using a second knife assembly;   cutting a plurality of generally rectangular cheese portions from the plurality of strips using a third knife assembly;   cutting a plurality of irregular cheese pieces from the plurality of cheese portions using a fourth knife assembly after the cutting with the first, second and third knives; and   cutting a plurality of irregular shaped cheese crumbles from the plurality of irregular cheese pieces using a fifth knife assembly.   
   
   
       2 . A plurality of irregular shaped cheese crumbles made according to the method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first, third and fourth knife assemblies comprises at least one knife blade orientated in a generally transverse direction to the feed direction of the cheese cutting apparatus and each of the second and fifth knife assemblies comprises a plurality of knife blades orientated in a generally parallel direction to the feed direction of the cheese cutting apparatus, at least one of the second and fifth knife assemblies comprises a plurality of knife blades mounted to a shaft for rotation therewith, the spacing between a first pair of adjacent knife blades being different than the spacing between a second pair of adjacent knife blades, and the third knife assembly comprises a plurality of knife blades mounted to a shaft for rotation therewith. 
   
   
       3 . A plurality of irregular shaped cheese crumbles made according to the method of  claim 1 , the method including the steps of: transporting the generally rectangular cheese portions between the third and fourth knife assemblies using an auger having offset flights; and
 working edges of the generally rectangular cheese portions using edges of the offset flights.   
   
   
       4 . A method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles using a cheese cutting apparatus having a feed direction, the method comprising:
 forming cheese portions, including cutting a slice from a bulk cheese product using a first knife assembly, cutting a plurality of strips from the slice using a second knife assembly, and cutting a plurality of cheese portions from the plurality of strips using a third knife assembly; and   transporting the cheese portions using an auger having offset flights, and working edges of the cheese portions during transporting using edges of the offset flights to form a plurality of irregular shaped cheese crumble pieces.   
   
   
       5 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein the second knife assembly comprises a plurality of knife blades mounted to a shaft for rotation therewith, the spacing between a first pair of adjacent knife blades being different than the spacing between a second pair of adjacent knife blades. 
   
   
       6 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein the third knife assembly comprises a plurality of knife blades mounted to a shaft for rotation therewith. 
   
   
       7 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , including the steps of:
 feeding the slice in the feed direction to the second knife assembly in a generally planar orientation; and   feeding the strips in the feed direction to the third knife assembly in a generally non-planar orientation.   
   
   
       8 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein transporting the cheese portions using an auger occurs after the third knife assembly. 
   
   
       9 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , including the steps of:
 placing the irregularly shaped cheese crumbles in a tumble drum; and   adding an anticake agent to the irregularly shaped cheese crumbles in the tumble drum.   
   
   
       10 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , including the step of:
 advancing the cheese from at least one of the first knife assembly to the second knife assembly using a feed roller and a drum roller.   
   
   
       11 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , including the steps of:
 advancing the cut cheese portions through an auger using a plurality of separate flights on a shaft of the auger; and   working peripheral edges of the cut cheese portions to reshape the cheese portions using radial edges of the flights, the radial edges of flights being formed between adjacent flights offset a predetermined amount.   
   
   
       12 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the auger comprises a plurality of flights that are offset from each other by ninety degrees. 
   
   
       13 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the first and third knife assemblies comprises at least one knife blade orientated in a generally transverse direction to the feed direction of the cheese cutting apparatus. 
   
   
       14 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the second knife assembly comprises at least one knife blade orientated in a generally parallel direction to the feed direction of the cheese cutting apparatus. 
   
   
       15 . The method of producing irregular shaped cheese crumbles in accordance with  claim 14 , wherein each of the first and third knife assemblies comprises at least one knife blade orientated in a generally transverse direction to the feed direction of the cheese cutting apparatus and the second knife assembly comprises a plurality of knife blades orientated in a generally parallel direction to the feed direction of the cheese cutting apparatus.