Integrierte Vermeidung und Verminderung der Umweltverschmutzung

2.2.1 Meat and poultry
Chapter 2
Beef, pork and poultry are the main types of meat processed in Europe. The activities of the
meat sector can be divided into three areas, slaughtering (covered by the “Slaughterhouses and
animal by-products BREF” [181, EC, 2003]), meat cutting and further processing.
Cutting is a size reduction of large to medium sized parts of food material. For cutting, knives,
blades, cleavers and circular or straight saws are used. These are all electrically operated.
Carcases are cut into retail cuts of joints by the removal of bone, skin and fat. After cutting the
meat, the fresh meat may be stored and dispensed under refrigeration. It can be sold in portions,
or it may be combined with other products. Special derinding machines are used for separating
rind and fat from pork carcases.
The further processing of meat into, e.g. ham, bacon and sausage, is primarily carried out for
preservation purposes but it is also important for taste. In the meat sector, raw meats, either
whole muscles or altered meat particles, are restructured to the predetermined product
characteristics.
For coarse-ground products, the meat particles are substantially reduced and then restructured
back into a different physical form. The goal of muscle product processing is to keep an original
intact tissue appearance in the finished product. Products, such as ham, roast beef, and turkey
breast, are produced from whole muscles or sectioned muscles. An emulsifying process forms a
matrix in which the fat particle is encapsulated with the protein membrane.
Grinding reduces particle size, and mixing assures uniformity of chemical composition as well
as protein extraction. Chopping also reduces particle size and produces salt-soluble protein.
Major processing equipment includes injectors and massagers for muscle products, grinders and
mixers for coarse-ground products, and choppers and emulsifiers for emulsified products.
Injecting and massaging processes facilitate brine distribution and protein extraction.
Preservation involving heat, e.g. cooking or frying, and dehydration produces foods that can be
packaged and kept for an extended time at appropriate storage conditions. Preservation
techniques such as fermentation, smoking, and brining/curing/picking are used to diversify the
market selection. All these processes offer a limited extension of the shelf-life by altering the
environmental conditions which supports microbial growth.
The injection under pressure of a solution containing brining/curing/pickling ingredients is a
widely used technique for extending the life of meat. The ingredients used are common salt, i.e.
NaCl, often with sodium or potassium nitrite and other materials to impart special
characteristics. This process is required for whole products such as ham, shoulder, bresaola and
turkey. Traditional injection in-vein has ceased and today the technique uses multi-needle
injectors, which allow a higher productivity and a major spread of pickle. The injector injects a
predetermined dose of pickle containing different additives and ingredients, such as salts,
polyphosphates, ascorbate, caseinate, nitrate, nitrite, glutamate and spices inside the ham or
shoulder mass.
After the injections, a process which allows complete homogenisation of the ingredients and of
the additives into the product takes place. This process also allows the extraction of a
proteinous/saline fluid from the meat with binding effect. It involves massaging the meat inside
a container turning around a vertical or inclined axis in a continuous or intermittent way, under
vacuum and/or at a refrigerated temperature. Brining/curing by dry salt is required for the
production of cured uncooked ham, bacon, and coppa. The latter two products can be also made
in the massaging machine.
Raw meats, after these preparation processes, are stuffed into casings to form a defined
geometric shape and size. During these processes, rheological properties are critical to the
equipment performance and final product quality.
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