Method of separating meat components via centrifuge
View Patent ↗A method for separating fat from lean. The method includes grinding chilled beef comprising fat and lean into a size resulting in particles that comprise predominantly fat and particles that comprise predominantly lean; combining the particles with a fluid to produce a mixture, wherein the fluid comprises water; and centrifuging the mixture to separate the fluid, and the particles comprising predominantly lean from the mixture.
1. A method for separating fat from lean, comprising:
selecting a fat content of beef to be produced;
chilling beef comprising fat and lean;
reducing the chilled beef into particles that comprise fat and particles that comprise lean, wherein a size of the lean particles is selected to result in a proportion of fat about the same as the selected fat content of beef to be produced;
combining the particles with a fluid to produce a mixture, wherein the fluid comprises water; and
centrifuging the mixture to separate the fluid from the particles that comprise lean; and
collecting the lean particles to produce the beef having the selected fat content.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the fluid, and introducing the collected fluid into the mixture prior to centrifuging.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises an acid.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the acid is carbonic acid.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises sodium citrate, sodium chlorite, tri-sodium phosphate and/or sodium chloride or any combination thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles are sized less than one-half inch.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particle size is increased or decreased by varying a flow of the beef.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a particle size is increased or decreased by varying a speed of a variable speed motor connected to a grinder.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein gas accumulates in a center of the centrifuge.