Whether building a delivery of trimmings for sausage production or deciding the curing time for hams, making the very best use of raw materials is essential for experienced meat industry professionals. That ability is now more important than ever in meeting increasing demands for traceable high quality products while also turning a profit.
But it can be a challenge when raw material is notoriously variable from supplier-to-supplier, from batch-to-batch and even from tray-to-tray. Without a clear picture of entire batches of trimmings, lean meat may be given away to ensure that fat targets are always met. Likewise, selecting cuts for processing can be time-consuming and costly yet without a sharp picture of the fat content, the curing of products may take more time and energy resources than necessary and the risk of quality failures is higher.
The advent of rapid raw meat analysis in the laboratory in the production environment gives the vision required to make smart choices as raw material arrives. So-called in-line solutions scan 100% of complete batches of meat and perform foreign object detection at the same time. Advantages include optimal use of raw material, exact matching of fat content specifications, production efficiency and, not least, maximum profit.
