If the smell is pleasant and appetizing, it means that the heat treatment of culinary meat products process is successfully carried out using specialized technological equipment.
Common to modern active and busy life, the lack of the ability for a wide range of consumers to prepare meat dishes at home has determined the trend towards an increase in the production of instant meat products, as well as high and complete culinary readiness of meat products. Research has shown that the time spent preparing food at home has decreased over the past decades from 1 hour (1980) to 19 minutes (2022). Our industry traditionally produces frozen meat and meat-containing semi-finished products, which require subsequent culinary processing.
These are

• dumplings products (65% of the Ukrainian market)
• nuggets – 8%
• cutlets – 6%
• benderiki – 3%
• schnitzels and meatballs – 1%
• pancakes and pasties – 12% (at the end of 2022).

The heat treatment process of these semi-finished products at home requires certain skills and duration, and its mode is strictly determined by food safety requirements because the products consist entirely or partially of raw meat! Processors’ response to the requests of the busiest and laziest customers of meat products has become products of full culinary preparation:

• steak
• languette (chop cutlet)
• entrecote
• escalope
• beef stroganoff
• kebab
• goulash
• rump steak
• cutlets
• meatballs
• rissoles
• schnitzels
• kupati
• pates
• pates
• fried sausages
• benderiki
• zrazy with meat
• baked meat products
• fried liver
• boiled tongue
• fried whole muscle
• and minced poultry products

And this is far from a complete list of products. According to analysts, there was an annual increase in the production of fully prepared food products, which amounted to 20-25%, and was associated primarily with the development of retail chains in large cities and fast food restaurants.

What difficulties did manufacturers face?

When developing a new product range, manufacturers encountered several difficulties of both a technical and marketing nature. Technical problems include the need to purchase and master specialized equipment capable of ensuring proper heat treatment and packaging of culinary meat products. One company had to invest more than 2 million dollars in equipment to organize the production of fully cooked poultry products and it is far from the highest figure. An important and difficult task for producers of this type of meat product is to ensure acceptable deadlines for their implementation. The fully cooked meat products supplied to the market are frozen or chilled. The sales period for frozen products is determined depending on the type of product, the technology used by manufacturers, and the characteristics of packaging materials. Thus, finished poultry products can be stored for up to 1year, other manufacturers of fully prepared meat culinary products indicate a much shorter sales period of up to 3 months. Chilled fully cooked meat products can be stored for up to 12 days at a temperature of 2°C to 6°C if they are hermetically packaged using a modified gas environment. In regular packaging, these products are stored at the same temperature for no more than 2-3 days, depending on the product characteristics. Marketing ready-to-cook meat products has also proven challenging. The potential consumer of this type of product does not have enough information about the product features, storage, and usage. Culinary meat products offered for sale in frozen food departments, where the vast majority of products are semi-finished products with a low degree of culinary readiness, scare off potential buyers with a high price, which also includes the need for heat treatment, more expensive packaging materials, and the provision of specific storage conditions. To eliminate this psychological barrier, manufacturers force to make additional efforts trying to offset the costs of advertising and promotions with products of low culinary readiness that are in stable demand.
The extensive range of culinary meat products determines the variety of methods for their heat treatment which include

• frying
• boiling
• blanching
• deep-frying
• baking, etc.

A conveyor fryer, electric frying pans, and other technological equipment are used for frying culinary meat products. This type of heat treatment is also called dry heating, as the water is not used in this case. When culinary products are fried, the outer layers lose moisture under the influence of high temperatures, and the temperature of the outer layer rises to values exceeding 100°C, forming a crust on the surface of the products. Physical and chemical changes occur with the substances contained in the dehydrated layer, which determine the characteristic organoleptic properties of the food products subjected to frying and largely determine their consumer attractiveness. However, when the surface temperature increases above 135°C, substances with an unpleasant odor begin to be released, and the processed products acquire a specific “burnt” taste. A thin layer of fat, characterized by low thermal conductivity, promotes uniform heating of the product and protects it from burning.

What to do for product safety?

To ensure the customers’ safety while frying meat culinary products, it is necessary to foresee possible sources of bacterial contamination or other hazards, which must be considered when developing and implementing HACCP systems in meat processing plants. Since when performing this technological operation, the causes of possible microbial contamination may be the failure of personnel to comply with proper sanitation rules and the heat treatment regime provided for in regulatory documentation, it is necessary to train operators in the correct methods and techniques for working with frying equipment. Detergents, which residues are found on the surfaces of technological equipment if it is not properly sanitized, can become a source of chemical hazards, so it is necessary to carry out cleaning and sanitizing work on frying equipment in strict accordance with current instructions. A potential physical hazard is metal fragments entering the product. It is especially hazardous when operating continuous frying lines operated in automatic mode. In this case, the preventive measure should be proper maintenance and correct adjustment of the technological equipment used. Meat products that have already undergone heat treatment are often baked. Unlike frying, the technological operation of baking is carried out until a golden brown crust is formed at a temperature of 200-250°C. Cooking is the process of moist heating food products at moderate temperatures to bring the products to a state of culinary readiness, form the required organoleptic characteristics, and increase storage stability. During the cooking process, significant physical and chemical changes occur in the product. When heated, soluble protein substances are denatured, collagen disaggregates, and fats change their properties. The present microflora changes quantitatively. The structural and mechanical properties of the product as a whole change. Short-term cooking of raw materials in water, in their own juice, or a steam environment until partially cooked is called blanching. In practice, to avoid meat burning during blanching, the inner surface of the technological container intended for this technological operation is oiled up with hot fat.
The production of fully cooked meat products is a promising direction in the activities of meat processing enterprises. More and more domestic manufacturers are opening workshops, and buying equipment for semi-finished products, retail chains are also creating products with this equipment under their own brands. Analysts predict a gradual market growth of semi-finished products, which is logical since everyone wants to spend as little time as possible preparing food at home or in public catering establishments.

Сообщение The conveyor fryer seems to smell fried появились сначала на ROZFOOD.

Meat science basics

In the muscle tissue of the meat, a small amount of oxygen is stored, sufficient for a short period, then this reserve is depleted. As a result, it is a metabolic process without oxygen (i.e., under anaerobic conditions) that leads to the formation of lactic acid. Lactic acid, as an end product of anaerobic metabolism, is not excreted and therefore accumulates in muscle tissue. Hence the drop in pH (the final pH depends on the amount of glycogen present in the muscle tissue at the time of termination of the animal’s vital activity, so usually the pH level ranges from 7.4 to 5.6).
The information is based on data for beef, but it also applies to pork and lamb.

1. Procedure:
2. Breeding.
3. Transportation.
4. Lairage.
5. Stun/slaughter.
6. Sticking.
7. Rimming-over the legs and sking.
8. Sawing up the breast of cattle, gutting, and dividing the carcass into half carcasses.
9. Trim and wash of the carcass.
10. Cooling and examination of the carcass.
11. Deboning and cutting of half carcasses on the conveyor line.
12. Shrink vacuum packing of the junctures.
13. Cooling system control
14. Loading and dispatch of vacuum-packed junctures.
15. Production.
16. Consumer packaging.
17. Boxes` placement and shipment.
18. Retail.

Stress exposure before slaughter

DFD – dark, firm, and dry meat when cutting:

• Slaughter of cattle and pigs causes chronic stress before it starts.
• Depleted glycogen stores in muscle tissues leading to low levels of lactic acid production.
• Represented by dark, firm, dry muscles with a high upper pH.
• pH level above 6.0 after 24 hours.
• Microorganisms that produce hydrogen sulfide grow in dark, firm, dry meat.
• Hydrogen sulfide reacts with myoglobin, resulting in a green tint and off-flavors when the meat is vacuum packed.
• Vacuum-packed meat should not be stored for a long period.

Slaughter Hygiene Measures:
• Meat is practically sterile in healthy animals.
• Slaughter and skinning are the first sources of microbial contamination of fresh meat.
• Two knife actions (color coded) – external/internal cut. It is important at the time of cutting the animal’s larynx.
• Avoid the interval between stunning and slaughter (blood spill).
• Pollution occurs in the removing the skin and offal process, as well as excavating the insides.
• Overlapping of the blue end of the stomach and esophagus.
• Understanding the problem of cross-infection

Effective Hygienic Cooling Mode:

• The refrigerator compartment must be prepared before loading. Relative humidity should be at 95%.
• Moderate chilling so that no part of the carcass is chilled below 10°C at pH level above 6.2.
• Below pH 6.2, lower the temperature to speed up the process, but not as fast as freezing.
• In practice, the temperature of all carcass fragments should not fall below 10°C for 10 hours after slaughter.

Cold Shortening (CS):
• Rapid freezing before rigor mortis sets in causes irreversible contraction of the muscle fiber, resulting in cold contraction and toughness in the meat.
• Beef carcasses are most susceptible to shrinkage due to the relatively slow decrease in pH.
• Shrinkage can be caused by a high velocity of cold air passing over the surface of the carcass, although the fat layer usually softens the effect (10 to 10).
• Not removing the heat fast enough can cause the meat to spoil at the bone in the back of the carcass, as well as a strong odor deep in the muscle tissue.

High voltage electrical stimulation (ES):
• Traditional cooling process causes microbial growth and increased dehumidification.
• High-voltage electrical stimulation can accelerate the post-mortem breakdown of glucose, allowing more rapid glycogen removal.
• Electrical stimulation induces muscle work with the help of electrical impulses passing through the entire carcass within an hour after slaughter.
• Each contraction uses glycogen and adenosine triphosphate.
• This mechanism prevents cold contraction, and the meat becomes softer.
• Rapid cooling must be matched with lowering the pH level, otherwise, excessive dehumidification will occur.

Hanging on the sacrum:
• Must be done before rigor mortis (1 hour after slaughter).
• Eliminates the problem of muscle strain, so they become relaxed and take on the same shape as the animal.
• The result is more tender meat, especially “round steak”.
• No particular advantage for the front of the carcass.

Hygienic deboning:
• pH control to detect carcasses with dark, firm, and dry meat.
• The temperature in the deboning room is not more than 7°C.
• Carcasses and products are moved to ensure the shortest possible refrigeration interval (ideally less than 20 minutes).
• Effective regular sensitization of tools, cutting surfaces, and equipment.
• Deboning at speeds compatible with vacuum packaging equipment.

Vacuum packing and heat shrinking in hot water:
• A good level of vacuum (no more than 5mb) and strong sealed seams are very important to improve the quality during the ripening period.
• High shrink (85°C for 1.5 sec.) without blanching for minimal liquid loss during storage and distribution.

Сообщение Top-quality meat production появились сначала на ROZFOOD.

The fact is that when natural chilled meat, especially beef, is vacuum-packed, it immediately darkens, acquiring a greenish or greenish-brown hue. So clarify the details: chilled beef is packed, vacuum bags or shrink film of well-known world manufacturers are used for packaging, and the shelf life of the product at t = 0-4 °C, according to technical specifications, is 7 days. Is this a defect? If yes, how to prevent it ? And if not, these are the features of the “behavior” of meat in an airless space, the so-called discoloration of meat, then how to convey this information to retail chains and, most importantly, to the consumer so that he buys this chilled meat? After all, manufacturers claim, that this is a high-quality product, without the use of any chemical improvers.
Discoloration is the first reason for such “behavior” of vacuum-packed chilled meat. This issue is faced by all enterprises that deal with chilled meat (beef, pork). The essence of the meat discoloration (color changing) process after packaging in vacuum bags is explained by the fact that the access of oxygen to the myoglobin present in the meat is blocked. This process is standard, and it is reversible. So, after removing the packaging and resuming contact with air, the bright red color returns within a few minutes. To make this product more color attractive in trade, many stores use special lighting lamps (pink), under which vacuum-packed meat looks the same as unpacked meat. This trip allows us to solve the discoloration problem.
While vacuum packed, the beef darkening and its greenish tint are normal. It indicates that it is natural meat that was not packed with any chemical improvers (for example, formaldehyde, etc.). It is caused by the lack of oxygen in the package, and after opening it, the meat will again acquire the color it had before packaging. “Certainly, in the beginning, the best is to carry out laboratory studies of the packaged product (this enterprise can do this both in its production and an independent laboratory) and have the complete information to understand the causes of color change since other factors could affect the beef color change.
This problem mainly concerns products that are in the upper part of a folded “pyramid” of several packages, that is, in the light. “The red color of meat is given to a greater extent by the pigment myoglobin, a type of complex protein consisting of a protein part – globin and a non-protein part – heme. It is the heme that is responsible for the formation of a different shade of meat. “In the presence of oxygen, myoglobin is oxidized (Fe+2 form) to form oxymyoglobin (MbO2), which gives the meat its light red color,” he explains. – Under the influence of light, a deeper oxidation occurs, while the heme iron changes from divalent to trivalent (Fe + 2 to Fe + 3), and brown-gray metmyoglobin (MetMb) is formed. When myoglobin reacts with hydrogen sulfide, sulfomyoglobin, a green pigment, is formed.

The second possible reason is the contamination of meat with saprophytic microflora. It can be caused by violations at the meat slaughter and deboning stage (non-compliance with temporary slaughter and deboning stage regimes, insufficient compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, improper air disinfection in the room, etc.). In this case, “old school” manufacturers recommend better air disinfection using germicidal lamps, so-called “blue lamps” etc.
In turn, representatives of the additives market remind us about the possibility of surface treatment of meat. “The main criteria for the quality and attractive presentation of a packaged semi-finished meat product are compliance with sanitary standards and rules during the primary processing of livestock and pigs on the slaughter lines, poultry and cutting meat into semi-finished products; the thermal state of the product prepared for packaging (0+2°C); vacuum pressure indicator (we recommend not higher than 1 bar); type of packaging material (wrap).

Based on our working experience with this problem, we recommend that manufacturers treat the chilled semi-finished product with ascorbate-containing functional additives, which do not affect the quality of meat at all since ascorbic acid is also present in baby food products, they stabilize the pH level. It has a positive effect on the meat’s “freshness” and meat juice with a rich red color in vacuum packaging. The meat must be processed in the massager under full vacuum for 1 hour, with a drum rotation speed of no more than 4 rpm and maximum load to avoid the “acid” aroma presence while opening the package. Then let it ripen at rest for 1 hour and then go on the packaging. In this case, in addition to the fact that the meat juice in the package will retain its natural color, release during vacuuming will also significantly decrease (up to 30%).”
The third possible factor is the nuances at the stage of product vacuumization. “The vacuum pressure is approximately 1-1.5 bar. The manufacturer can try to “play” a little with parameters such as the pressure and vacuuming time of the product. Either increase or decrease, or simultaneously, for example, reduce the evacuation pressure, increase the time accordingly, and analyze the results of the experiments.
The fourth recommendation concerns the possibility of using other packaging materials (with different characteristics). “In this situation, a manufacturer can try using polypropylene wrap. You can try using a vacuum bag that contains polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide (polyamide + polyethylene + EVO (ethyl vinyl alcohol). It will give a more “pink” tint to the product under the wrap.

The fifth factor is so-called meat defects (DFD meat). Microorganisms that produce hydrogen sulfide grow in dark, firm, and dry meat. Hydrogen sulfide reacts with myoglobin, resulting in a green tint and off-flavors when the meat is vacuum-packed.
Finally, the sixth recommendation is to switch to a different packaging method, for example, by using a modified atmosphere (MA). “Vacuum packaging will never be able to preserve the meat’s natural color and avoid the problem of its decoloration, no matter what (pork, beef, lamb, etc.). Today, chains place higher demands on the appearance of fresh/chilled meat in the package. Packaging should ensure not only compliance with the shelf life by the technical specifications but a worthy presentation of the product and the quality of meat. An important stage in meat products production is an industrial conveyor line for deboning half-carcasses, which ensures high productivity and quality. All this can be achieved by using the technology of packaging meat products in MA, using gas mixtures for the food industry under European norms and standards FSSC 22000.
80% oxygen and 20% carbon dioxide of the gas mixture must be used to preserve the product color during packaging. The use of oxygen just allows you to keep the red color of the meat. The advantage of the anaerobic gas mixture is the long-lasting effect of the tenderizing enzymes, which makes the beef more tender during storage in the package. The quality of the packaging equipment plays an important role here.

Сообщение Color formation defects in chilled meat vacuum packaging появились сначала на ROZFOOD.

The implementation of the HACCP system is a necessary step in the framework of the economic integration of the domestic food industry into the European and world markets, ensuring the hygiene of food industry enterprises. The HACCP system implemented at the enterprise provides it with such advantages as a systematic approach to product safety and the ability to move from responding to the consequences of food safety incidents to systematic prevention of these incidents. A significant technical and commercial advantage of a successfully operating HACCP system is also the possibility of its integration into any recognized product quality assurance system. Therefore, the presence and effective functioning of the specified system is not the only necessary condition for the compliance of the production facilities and the food products produced on them with internationally recognized requirements.

About the introduction of HACCP systems, in the dry language of regulatory documents

The final provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning Food Products” define the terms of development, implementation and application of permanent procedures based on the principles of the system of analysis of dangerous factors and control at critical points. It is foreseen that the new edition of the Law of Ukraine “On Basic Principles and Requirements for the Safety and Quality of Food Products” stipulated by the Law of Ukraine requires the introduction of the HACCP system for facilities that carry out activities with food products that contain raw ingredients of animal origin (except small facilities), enter into force from September 20, 2017. Also, for facilities that carry out activities with food products that do not contain raw ingredients of animal origin (except for small facilities), the introduction of the HACCP system from September 20, 2018, and for all small capacities from September 20, 2019.

It should be noted that the implementation of food safety management systems “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – HACCP” in Ukraine has been going on for more than a decade. The specified systems are effective from the point of view of maximally guaranteeing the safety of food products, including products of animal origin. Several relevant national standards of Ukraine have also been put into effect. First of all, they include DSTU (State Standarts of Ukraine (Derzhavni Standarty Ukrainy) 4161-2003 “Food safety management systems. Requirements”, DSTU ISO 22000:2007 “Food safety management systems. Requirements for any food chain organizations” and DSTU ISO 22005:2009 “Traceability in feed and food chains. General principles and basic requirements for the development and implementation of the system”. In 2010, the Chief State Inspector of Veterinary Medicine of Ukraine issued an order according to which managers and owners of facilities engaged in the production or distribution of food products are required to implement a departmental control system based on the principles of HACCP. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, by an order issued in 2013, introduced the obligation to implement and apply permanent procedures based on the Food Safety Management System principles. The order stated that in case of non-fulfillment of its requirements, the activity of the food production enterprise may be terminated, and the enterprise may be repurposed. In order to encourage producers and sellers (suppliers) of food products, it was supposed to speed up the implementation of HACCP systems or other systems for ensuring the safety and quality of food products. By the decision of the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine, it was allowed to halve the frequency of inspections of those enterprises where the mentioned systems have been successfully implemented and used.

The long-standing practice of implementing the HACCP system at enterprises of the food industry, including the meat processing industry, gives reason to assert that, under conditions of voluntariness and non-obligation, our manufacturers and other market operators are in no hurry to arm themselves with a globally recognized food product safety tool. According to the information of the Department of Food of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2016, 279 domestic enterprises have already implemented the HACCP system, and 91 enterprises are currently working on the development and implementation of the specified system. Thus, only about 20% of food and processing industry enterprises have implemented HACCP systems, and of the total number of food industry enterprises that have already implemented them, 20.5% are meat processing enterprises. Safety management systems under DSTU ISO 22000:2007 “Food Safety Management System. Requirements for any organizations of the food chain” as of January 1, 2016, have already been implemented at 438 enterprises of the food industry, and the development and implementation of the specified system are currently being carried out at 77 enterprises, that is, 26% of all enterprises of the food and processing industry have implemented safety management systems, harmonized with international ones, or are at different stages of implementation of the specified ones.

Great-profile enterprises in the meat industry have already successfully implemented product safety and quality management systems. On the other hand, small meat processing enterprises, for obvious reasons, the main of which are limited financial capabilities, insufficient qualification of employees, and lack of organizational and methodological preparation, delay the implementation and application of constant operating procedures based on the principles of the system of analysis of dangerous factors and control at critical points. Indeed, the law will not require the mandatory availability of these systems at small businesses until September 2019, but this date is not so far away. And considering the small prospect of a significant improvement in Ukraine’s economic situation in the near future, it is expedient to carefully think through and plan the necessary measures and expenses today. On the other hand, all measures should be taken to ensure that the state’s active participation in the implementation of the HACCP system and other similar systems at food industry enterprises through a number of laws and other regulatory documents takes place in compliance with the principles of deregulation, that is, without increasing administrative pressure on producers. All over the world, HACCP systems are implemented to achieve the highest possible level of food safety for the health and life of consumers while simultaneously simplifying control measures and minimizing the costs of implementing these systems. Instead, in domestic conditions, there is a tendency not to simplify but to complicate the safety control system, which consists of an excessive number of prerequisite programs, unjustified designation of control points, efforts to spread the validity of HACCP plans for product quality control, etc. Unfortunately, this is often the fault of specialized organizations and firms that implement quality and safety management systems at enterprises and, at the same time, compensate for the lack of a carefully and responsibly performed risk analysis with excessive strictness of control.

For small businesses, the costs of work associated with the implementation of HACCP will be significantly lower but not so insignificant as not to bother our manufacturers. It is important that the state, having established the rules and terms of implementation of the HACCP system at food enterprises, does not remove itself from the problems associated with this process. Perhaps a mechanism of financial assistance to owners of enterprises that implement safety management systems should be provided. And it is undoubtedly necessary to provide comprehensive (free!) methodological assistance to those enterprises that, in full accordance with the Law of Ukraine, develop and implement the HACCP system by themselves.

Manufacturers should realize that the HACCP system implementation is a necessary step in the economic integration of the domestic food industry into the European and world markets. The HACCP system implemented at the enterprise provides it with such advantages as a systematic approach to product safety and the opportunity to move from responding to the consequences of food safety incidents to systematic prevention of the ones. A significant technical and commercial advantage of a successfully operating HACCP system is the possibility of its integration into any of the recognized systems for product quality assurance. Therefore, the presence and effective functioning of the specified system is not the only necessary condition for the compliance of production facilities and food products produced on them with internationally recognized requirements. Machines for washing boxes or containers are important elements for successful HACCP implementation.

Experienced manufacturers often express their misunderstanding of the need to implement HACCP systems instead of the domestic systems of sanitary and production control that are used and tested in practice. According to the experts, compliance with the production control instructions and thorough execution of all the checks provided for by it completely guaranteed the safety of food products. Indeed, the implementation was guaranteed, it required the availability of appropriate technical means and the involvement of numerous personnel. Conceptually specified systems belonged to the inspection control systems of raw materials and materials, their transformations during production, packaging, storage, and distribution. Inspection control systems are reliable but inefficient and too expensive. The mentioned shortcomings prompted to find a new solution to the problem, which was the HACCP system implementation at food enterprises. World practice shows that the vast majority of problems with the safety of food products are caused by the unsatisfactory quality of raw materials and improper modes of its technological processing, unauthorized changes to recipes established by the technological documents, non-compliance with the requirements for sanitary conditions of personnel, which is ensured by the hygiene station, technological equipment, and production premises. That is why the conceptual core of the HACCP system is a thorough analysis of probable biological, chemical, and physical risk factors, thanks to which the possibility of incidents occurring at the established control points is consistently minimized. At one time, food enterprises of EU countries and other world advanced countries went through the procedure of implementing the HACCP system or other ongoing procedures based on the principles of the food safety management system. The effective spread of these systems was significantly facilitated by the presence of many enterprises with the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) system. Its rules and norms provide the implementation of preventive measures to identify the risk factors inherent in a specific production. At the same time, the presence of an implemented GMP system cannot significantly speed up the term of HACCP system implementation. Usually, the specified procedure at a meat processing of medium capacity enterprise can last up to two years due to the need to develop and implement monitoring systems, record results, determine the form and range of corrective actions, introduce a documentation system at workplaces, etc.

Сообщение Without HACCP, the case might not be! появились сначала на ROZFOOD.

Once in a life, every person has eaten one or another type of canned food, like meat, fish, or vegetables. The value of such products is defined by the long (from several months to 3 years) term of life and preservation of the food products’ nutritional properties. It means that the consumer receives a tasty and high-quality product during the entire long storage period.

Design features of the horizontal-type autoclaves

Our company was the first one in Ukraine to produce horizontal sterilization autoclaves. From the point of view of total production capacity per unit of time and operational convenience, their horizontal-type construction is a significant advantage.

The product technological preparation in a horizontal-type autoclave is provided by the following components: hydraulic, heat exchange, software, and hermetic. The hydraulic one includes the hydraulic circuit of the autoclave, which consists of a powerful circulation pump, a shower system, and the autoclave body. The water circulating in the autoclave is taken from the bottom of the case, pumped through the plate heat exchanger, and supplied to the suffocating system. This large volume of water passes through the suffocating system and washes the product, allowing the internal volume of the autoclave to be evenly heated. The uniform product heating in our autoclaves is the main advantage compared to vertical-type ones.

The basis of the heat exchange component is a plate heat exchanger and a system of pneumatic valves that control the supply of steam during the heating and sterilization stage and the supply of cold water during the cooling stage.
The software component is developed by our company and allows the sterilization process to be carried out in automatic mode. The operator loads the product into the autoclave, closes the lid, starts the necessary program, and waits for the sterilization cycle completion.

The hermetic component is provided by a bayonet shutter with a pneumatic seal.

The combination of the above-listed components allows you to enter the sterilization mode at a temperature of 120°C in 20 minutes and to carry out sterilization with minimum deviations of the temperature regime ± 0.1°C and minimum of the pressure regime ± 0.05 bar.

During the autoclave operation, condensate is obtained at the outlet of the heat exchanger with a temperature no more than 10°C higher than the temperature of the water in the circulation autoclave circuit. Such indicators testify to the maximum efficiency of steam energy use in the sterilization process.

Our company develops autoclaves with an electric water heating type, but it is worth noting that such autoclaves can have a maximum of two baskets and require a great network power.

Autoclaves have CE certification and comply with EU pressure vessel operating standards.

Types of heat treatment

The following types of heat treatment can be carried out in an autoclave:
– sterilization – carried out at a temperature above 100°C, increases the shelf life of the product by up to 3 years, has a wide selection of containers and products;
– pasteurization – food processing at a temperature below 100°C, increases the shelf life to 2 months at a temperature of +4°C, allows for reducing the level of preservatives in the product;
– cooking – excellent taste and quality of the final product, no weight loss of the one, the possibility of using large packaging, the product is suitable for sale in canteens and the HoReCa segment.

What kind of products is it suitable for production?

The range of products that can be processed in an autoclave is very wide, including canned meat and stews, pate, porridge with meat and vegetables, cooked or preserved vegetables, dry rations (retort bags), condensed milk, and wet animal feed.

List of adjacent equipment

It is worth noting that our company produces related equipment used in the technological sterilization process. First of all, it is a semi-automatic loader and unloader of the cans into baskets, a machine for washing and drying the ones, cooking boilers and mincing mixers of various volumes, vacuum meat massagers, bubble washers for vegetables and fruits, and many other types of equipment.

Advantages of buying from a domestic manufacturer

The equipment cost is low compared to foreign manufacturers.
Our own design and production facilities allow us to produce not only a wide range of equipment for various purposes for food manufacturers but also to solve the atypical technological tasks of our customers. Complex project planning of the shop work of various types and production capacities. The fast service warranty and post-warranty equipment maintenance. Our autoclaves are already used by the largest manufacturers in Ukraine, such as MHP, BORYSFEN-TRADE MANUFACTURING PLANT, VIZYT, NIVA PEREYASLAVSHCHINA, CHUDOVA MARKA FH, THE KLION GROUP COMPANY, and many others.

Сообщение Modern autoclaving tendencies появились сначала на ROZFOOD.

The meat, immediately after slaughtering, is tough and without a distinct flavor. Fillet, entrecote, boiled meat, and jerky acquire a perfect taste only when stored properly. A steak or a fillet is tender only due to the maturation of the meat.

Biochemical processes after the slaughter

The muscles of living animals accumulate energy intended for movement and metabolism. This energy ensures the continuation of the biochemical processes inside the meat and after slaughter. Inter alia, glycogen is broken down and turns into lactic acid, lowering the pH from pH 7.0 to pH 5.8-5.4 inside the meat. In addition, interlocks between individual fibers are formed in the muscle until a state of maximum stiffness is reached. This phase is known as the tanning stage and is reached, depending on the animal type, in 2-36 hours.

The actual maturation

Then the actual maturing begins. Protein-splitting enzymes, also found in the meat, reveal their influence. The activity of these enzymes depends on the temperature and achieved speed. Ideally, maturation takes place at a temperature of -1 to +2°C. The maturation process is impossible in a standard refrigerator. To a large extent maturing takes place in the cold room before the sale. The duration of maturation depends on such factors as the breed of the animal and its age, meat bran and its size, as well as storage (open or vacuum-packed).

Carcass cooling after the slaughter

Since the moisture content of the meat may increase during the carcasses’ rapid cooling after the slaughter, it is often refrigerated in a cooling tunnel for 1-2 hours at a temperature of -4 to -10°C. Until the deboning moment, the meat is placed for intermediate storage in a cooling chamber (deboning of pig carcasses – no earlier than one day, cattle – no earlier than three days). But at the same time, you should pay attention that the cattle carcasses cooling with the specified reduction in cooling time should not occur too quickly. It is recommended not to allow the internal temperature to fall below 10 ° C in carcasses and 15 ° C in individual pieces of meat within 10 hours after slaughter. It is recommended to reduce the internal temperature of the pork to 10°C within 12 hours after the slaughter and to 2-4°C within 24 hours after that.

Сообщение Cooling and maturation of the meat появились сначала на ROZFOOD.