Intact gastro-intestinal tract removal from pig carcasses in a novel Meat Factory Cell approach
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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica Open Access
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Intact gastro‑intestinal tract removal from pig carcasses in a novel Meat Factory Cell approach Ole Alvseike1* , Miguel Prieto2,3, Per Håkon Bjørnstad1 and Alex Mason1,4
Abstract Conventional automated slaughter lines for pigs are organised as disassembly lines with many specialised machines. High costs and capacities make them relevant only for large scale meat production. The ambition with the novel Meat Factory Cell (MFC) concept is to provide the meat industry with a robust and flexible automation platform that is also relevant for smaller scale production. The MFC process deviates radically from conventional processing of pig carcasses after singeing. In MFC, the limbs are removed first. Then the dorsal muscles along the spinal axis from tail to head are removed with the column and rind in one meat cut, followed by removal of the viscera. Finally, the cut ribs and belly are removed. Such approaches to automation in pig abattoirs and cutting plants are highly needed in smaller scale production, and they should produce meat and offal as hygienically as conventional factories. This case study reports the evisceration of 37 pigs in 9 trials performed in 2019. Several approaches were tested with a prototype carcass holding unit. Evisceration could be undertaken without the need to cut through the gastrointestinal tract from tongue to rectum, reducing the probability of accidental faecal contamination of pork carcasses from the gut content. The Meat Factory Cell procedure is an advance towards automated evisceration of pig carcasses which is both simple and hygienic. The traditional separation of internal organs into a pluck set and a set of stomach and bowels was more prone to leakages. Keywords: Evisceration, Meat inspection, Pork, Slaughter hygiene Findings The Meat Factory Cell (MFC) approach for pig slaughter and primary cutting has recently been suggested and described [1, 2]. MFC applies three principal changes to conventional meat production and processing: 1. Work partly organised in cell stations instead of lines. 2. Combine and merge elements of slaughter and meat primal cutting.
*Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Animalia – Norwegian Meat and Poultry Research Center, P.O. Box 396 Økern, 0513 Oslo, Norway Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
3. “Disassemble” the carcass from outside-in, without removal of internal organs before removal of most primary cuts. Alternative processes should at least be as hygienic as traditional slaughter and cutting. Improved hygiene is expected from the MFC concept as the meaty limbs, neck and loin are removed first. These primary cuts are not subject to faecal contamination from intestinal content. The MFC process results in seven cuts; Four limbs, the saddle including head and tail, the viscera including pluck, stomach and intestines, and a cut comprised of ribs and belly, i.e. the belly-cut. Also, from a meat inspection point of view, detection of lesions and abn
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