The processing of meat into fresh and frozen meat, and also into meat
and sausage products, poses a number of complex challenges for
industrial producers and those who process by hand: product variety,
punctual operation of the trade’s supply chain, ensuring the highest
standards of quality and freshness as well as stringent guarantees of food
safety and hygiene. In order to meet all of these requirements, the
companies in the supplier industry are constantly working to improve
their product ranges and services. In addition, today it is imperative to
always have the entire range of goods available in the quantity that is
needed, even when it comes to fresh products that spoil easily. It’s a job
that couldn’t be done without the help of high-performance computer
technologies and seamlessly secure cold chains. And then there is the
trend towards smaller, convenience-oriented products and packaging
units. To stay competitive under these conditions, the trade visitors from
the skilled trades and the industry are coming to Anuga FoodTec 2012,
where they will not only find the entire spectrum of production
technology possibilities under one roof, but also be inspired, as always, by
appropriate, detailed solutions from other sectors for their business
operations.

The future tastes homemade
Using automation for production while also producing authentic, handmade
products — it sounds contradictory, but it isn’t, thanks to gentle processes
with modern machines. Exhibitors like Vemag Maschinenbau, for example, offer
a modular system consisting of a vacuum filler machine, grinding and
separation equipment and a product-specific forming module, which is an
individual system producing convenience products in the form of meatballs,
croquettes or rissoles. A small number of parts that can be quickly changed
makes it possible to realise a wide spectrum of form and size variants. And the
system can also be used to produce filled meat products.
Processing solutions for multi-lane automatic forming of filled — i.e. “coextruded”
— products are also offered by the Albert Handtmann company. By
means of precise portioning and an advanced forming device, they ensure
perfect distribution of the inner and outer product mass and high-volume
production. Given that packaging processes are also automated today, a high
degree of consistency in the forming and weighing of each individual product is
becoming increasingly important. Modern grinding systems make it possible to
achieve optimal sensory properties and product quality despite fast processing,
because they are much gentler on raw materials. This ranges from reduced
mechanical stress to gentler cutting processes and shorter process steps to
theuse of high vacuum technology or nitrogen instead of ice — all measures
thatresult in a far superior composition of the product.One result of the general
 trend towards smaller batch sizes and more frequentchanges of the products
 being processed are also more demanding requirements in terms of cleaning
 the equipment. The fundamental standards of hygienic design, which more and
more suppliers are not only meeting but also actively further developing, is the
foundation for easier, more efficient cleaning and for more economical use of
water, energy, and cleaning and disinfecting materials — while also delivering
 better results. The company Weber Maschinenbau, for example, applies a
comprehensive concept for the hygienic design of the products in its line-up.
The company’s newly developed slicers make it easy to tighten, loosen and
 remove product feed components, and the specially sealed    product-feed
 housing satisfies the most stringent hygiene requirements. An improved
product feed system also makes it possible to gently process larger quantities
 in less time and to then deposit them recisely on the portioning belt. The Kilia company,
another Anuga FoodTec exhibitor, relies on not only technology, but also on advanced
materials to produce its cutters. A new material used in the devices is able to compete
 with stainless steel and has ideal damping properties that ensure quiet, steady
operation and long service life despite maximum speeds of up to 6,000 rpm. The
material also has outstanding hygiene characteristics that make cleaning much easier.

Good shelf life and freshness — both are possible with good packaging
Even the careful handling and packaging of non-identical, or individually
formed meat products under hygienic conditions can be done today without
having to perform manual tasks. Robot-supported pickers, for example, use
grippers that are individually configured for a product’s specific structure to
securely, quickly and precisely grasp many different kinds of objects and then
place them in the desired position in the package or container. Another
solution from Weber precisely and automatically controls the transfer of
individual portions, using an integrated camera system to determine the
position of the portions. This makes it possible to correct the positioning or to
turn portions to a desired angle. Flawed products or those that require followup
processing, are automatically sorted out. The possibility to combine the
slicers and packaging machines of many companies ensures flexibility when
integrating equipment into existing and new systems.
Many meat and sausage products are placed in trays for delivery. The suppliers
of the packaging technology used for this no longer concentrate only on the
high-performance segment. When it comes to tray packaging, renowned
machine manufacturers like the company Multivac are relying more on models
that are smaller but sacrifice nothing in terms of essential features such as
safety, hygiene, convenient operation and multifaceted capabilities. This allows
the production of high-quality freshness packs and packaging like those used in
supermarkets or butcher shops, on site and as needed. Demand for vacuum and
 MAP thermoformed packaging in small volumes for the refrigerated counter is
 growing constantly. This gives snack bar operators and catering companies
access to packaging qualities equal to what a large automatic tray sealer provides.

Ensuring quality — and safe products for the customer
All processes and raw materials in the meat industry must be monitored and
thoroughly documented throughout the entire production process. This is done
by means of sophisticated solutions that are tailored to the needs of the sector.
Known as ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, these solutions make
it possible to plan and understand the process from start to finish while
maintaining an overview of all data concerning the origin and characteristics of
the raw materials. But everything in the package itself must be correct before it
can be sent on its way to the customer. That’s why producers today want
inspection systems that reliably detect not only metal, but also plastics or glass
particles and can thus also find metallic foreign objects in metal containers or
glass splinters in jars. In order to meet these requirements, the company
Bizerba, for example, uses an X-ray inspection system that companies can
flexibly integrate into their production lines. The system detects all foreign
objects that absorb X-rays better or worse than the surrounding product does.
These objects or substances include metals, glass, ceramics, stones, PVC and
rubber. And X-ray systems can also be used to check for certain product flaws
and missing package contents. The EU directive 1999/2/EG authorises the use
of X-ray systems even for inspecting organic food products.

For further information on Anuga FoodTec, visit www.anugafoodtec.com