Apparatus, systems and methods for manufacturing food products

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods are disclosed to manufacture a plurality of edible pieces in a continuous process where each piece is generally different in thickness, shape, size and/or texture from another piece, so as to create, in the aggregate product distribution, pieces of randomly varying thickness, size, shape and/or texture. More specifically, the present invention, in its various embodiments, provides a process for manufacturing pet jerky treats comprising: grinding proteinaceous material, mixing said proteinaceous material with preservatives and flavor enhancers to form a blend of foodstuff, extruding said foodstuff through at least one die opening that is at least partially irregular to form at least one strip of extrudate that is at least partly irregular in shape, transporting said strip in a first longitudinal direction to a first cutting operation, cutting said strip at a first cutting angle to form a first set of pieces, transporting said first set of pieces in a second longitudinal direction to a second cutting operation, cutting said first set of pieces in said second cutting operation at a second angle to form a second set of pieces, such that the said second set of pieces cumulatively produced during a process run generally appear to be of random sizes and shapes.