Posted by Marie Ristic on in Meat Processing
Ensuring the final product’s safety and quality is a significant challenge for meat processors, especially those handling raw beef. By implementing X-ray food inspection systems, abattoirs, slaughterhouses and meat processors can enhance quality control measures, detect contaminants, and maintain high standards of incoming and outgoing products.
Overview
- Raw beef quality control challenges
- Raw beef quality control solutions
- Advanced X-ray inspection
- Fat analysis with DEXA technology
- Proprietary X-ray image analysis software
- Benefits of implementing X-ray inspection systems
- Eagle PI technology leaders
Raw beef quality control challenges
The beef industry faces numerous challenges in maintaining product quality control. Challenges include miss-packed or mislabelled cartons, calcified bone detection, metal contaminant detection in boneless products or metal fragment detection in bone-in products.
Dual-energy x-ray machines and DEXA technology by FPE’s supplier, Eagle PI are leading innovations in this domain, offering robust solutions to common raw beef processing issues.
Raw beef quality control with X-ray technology
Whether preparing beef for export or domestic markets, quality control is critical for meeting food safety standards and obtaining necessary approvals. With X-ray quality control solutions for raw beef from Eagle PI, meat processors can achieve preferred supplier status with key ‘blue-chip’ accounts and secure existing and new market opportunities.
Advanced X-ray inspection
Eagle PI’s MDX dual energy technology is a safe and comprehensive food inspection system. For raw meat products, X-ray technology excels at distinguishing meat from contaminants. Detecting physical contamination of meat, such as metal fragments and calcified bone, helps ensure consumer safety.
X-ray inspection is suitable for packaged or unpackaged meat that is raw, cooked or frozen. The X-ray machine identifies underweight, mislabelled or mispacked items to ensure that incoming or outgoing products meet the required standards.
The machines automatically adapt to different inspection requirements, allowing varied products to be examined on the same line. X-ray inspection monitors critical control points in meat processing to guard consumers against health risks and help manufacturers maintain high-quality standards.
Fat analysis with DEXA technology
The quantity of fat in meat products is a critical factor in meat quality. Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) technology provides accurate fat analysis to ensure uniform, high-quality products.
Chemical lean is the primary determinant of value in meat trim. Accurate ‘point-of-lean’ assessment using DEXA enables slaughterhouses and meat processors to capitalise on the true value of meat trim.
This video dives deeper into how slaughterhouses can use DEXA in-line fat analysis as a non-invasive method to determine the chemical lean values of raw meat.
Advanced X-ray image analysis software
Eagle PI’s advanced X-ray image analysis software provides superior, multitasking contaminant detection. This software, combined with optimal machine design, offers unmatched inspection results for meat and poultry lines.
Analysing busy X-ray images from packaged or unpackaged products, the system detects physical contaminants including bone fragments, glass, metal, mineral stone, and some plastic and rubber compounds.
For quality assurance, the image analysis software can verify product shape and consistency and accurately analyse fat content. In addition to accurate analysis and sorting, operators can easily and quickly access product tracking information.
Benefits of X-ray inspection for raw beef quality control
X-ray inspection technology has an important role to play in raw beef quality control. Implementing X-ray technology to improve raw beef quality control enables producers to ensure product safety and verify and control raw beef quality. Meat producers can more efficiently and effortlessly meet industry standards and regulations for domestic or export markets.
In addition to these benefits, accurate fat analysis and contaminant detection reduce waste and recall risks. As well as providing cost efficiencies and enabling slaughterhouses to sell combos for a higher value, targets can be achieved without sorting or sampling, and fat claims can be eliminated.
With reduced downtime, higher throughput and hygienic design, X-ray inspection and analysis bring efficiency and accuracy to raw beef quality control processes.
Explore X-ray technology for raw beef quality control with FPE’s expert team
Implementing X-ray inspection at critical points in the meat processing process can enhance raw beef product quality. By leveraging these technologies, meat processors can stay ahead in a competitive market, ensuring their products are safe, high-quality, and compliant with industry standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What contaminants can x-ray inspection detect in raw beef?
X-ray inspection systems can detect various contaminants, including metal fragments, calcified bones, and other foreign objects.
What are the 5 factors that determine beef quality?
Beef quality is determined by considering compositional quality, visual appearance, smell, firmness/texture, and taste/flavour.
What are the 7 critical control points in HACCP?
The seven HACCP principles consist of hazard analysis, CCP identification, establishing critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, verification procedures, record-keeping and documentation. These careful measures collectively safeguard consumer health and ensure the production of safe and high-quality meat products.
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