Possible New Technologies in Poultry Processing

You are given a task to built the most hi-tech poultry processing plant in the world. You have been asked to prepare a report on 5 new technologies to be included in poultry processing area which are being used in other industries. Describe each technology, write how it can be used in the poultry industry and how it can benefit the industry.

After scaveging the web I have come across several new ideas and technologies that have been developed that would help create the most high tech poultry processing plant in the world. One of the biggest problems in the poultry industry is Salmonella. The USDA takes 51 carcasses or tests for 51 processing days and evaluates for Salmonella. If 13 or more test positive that counts as 1 failure. After 3 failures the processing plant is shut down. This can be devastating for a company. Salmonella can enter a bird through what it eats or drinks primarily, but contamination can and does often happen in the processing plant especially in the boiler and picker. Luckily, an all natural spray called “SalmoFresh” has been invented. Its active ingredients seek out and kill Salmonella in foods that are at a high risk for contamination. This will greatly reduce the amount of contamination that happens at the processing plant itself. Equally critical is the need for clean, dry air that is compressed. Compressed air has to be both clean and dry, not only to protect the integrity of the moving pneumatic components, but also to safeguard the foods being packaged by eliminating the number of contaminants, including moisture, bacteria, oil, and particulate matter that is present in untreated compressed air that would indeed compromise product safety. This tool has been adopted by many meat processing plants and posses no threat to the quality of the meat. One other advancement in slaughter technique has been implemented in other fields of euthanization and has earned a reputation for being more humane than electrical stunning and toxic gas mixtures. This system was designed and constructed to produce a slow, controlled low atmospheric decompression, or vacuum by using reduced oxygen tension in a chamber similar to the gas chamber. The bird thus loses consciousness with minor discomfort. Packaging also has made strides to improve shelf life and antimicrobial growth. Traditional packaging is the poorest form of packaging and has the lowest shelf life and highest chance of housing a pathogen. This is where a foam tray holds the meat and plastic is wrapped around the entire product. Vacuum packaging and modified atmospheric packaging have been implemented in the beef industry. Vacuum packaging is where a product is incased in a airtight plastic bag and a machine removes the remaining residual air then seals the bag. Modified atmospheric packaging is where a rigid plastic tray holds the meat and a machine will vacuum residual air from the tray and then flush the tray with a modified atmosphere immediately prior to sealing the package with the clear film. The modified atmospheres typically contain purified gases found in air such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and carbon monoxide. A new meat recovery system has also been developed. It recovers residual meat from bones in a manner which the highest possible quality product is obtained. The remaining product has a nice, appetizing look because the original structure of the meat is still intact. The meat that is recovered from the bones by using this system allow further food processing and forming that is unlimited. With all of these new systems under one roof, it is certain that this processing plant would change and benefit the poultry industry greatly.

Works Cited

Advanced Technology Meat Recovery Systems. 2009. Amersfoort Machinery & Foodprocessing Equipment (AMFE).

Available at http://www.bfdcorp.com/index.php/advanced-technology-meat-recovery-systems (verified 28 November 2016).

Beecher, C. 2013. New Spray Product Takes Aim at Salmonella on Poultry. Food Safety News.

Available at http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/03/companys-arsenal-includes-natural-enemy-of-salmonella/#.WD0hs2M-mFI (verified 28 November 2016)

Brooks, C. 2007. Beef Packaging. National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Available at http://www.beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefResearch/PE_Fact_Sheets/Beef_Packaging.pdf (verified 28 November 2016).

Vizzier-Thaxton*2, Y., K. D. Christensen†, M. W. Schilling‡, and R. J. B. and. 2010. Y. Vizzier-Thaxton. A new humane method of stunning broilers using low atmospheric pressure.

Available at http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/content/19/4/341.short (verified 28 November 2016).