Dispatches from IFT 2013
Foss MeatMaster II saves $3,000 a day
With a capacity of up to 38 tons per hour for analysis of raw meat , the machine has the same accuracy as the MeatMaster I, but is half the length of the original unit and easier to integrate as an ‘in-line’ analyzer in production plants.
Speaking to foodproductiondaily.com at the IFT tradeshow in Chicago, Mark Host, senior VP, sales and marketing, said the new MeatMaster comes after 10 years of supplying X-ray analysis to the industry with over 100 installations of the first machine.
Lower operating costs
“Typical payback time has been found to be less than a year and case studies show savings of at least around US$3,000 per day,” he said.
The savings are made through the more rational use of raw materials with the X-ray test results helping producers get the right fat/lean mix in their products.
“It’s different from MeatMaster I because it’s smaller in size, more robust and has lower operating costs,” added Host.
“All aspects of the instrument have been fine-tuned and installation can be completed in a day. New software options include multi-language interfaces and process control software for fully automated control of batches.”
Fat content control
The MeatMaster II X-ray technology allows scanning of 100% of all meat, regardless of the size of the pieces and whether they are fresh or frozen; packed in sealed plastic or cardboard boxes.
Typical uses include control of fat content in raw meat trimmings to avoid lean meat giveaway and batch standardization for production of processed meat products.
The software has an automatic grading of pork belly cuts for bacon production or selection of pork legs for dry ham production, which can help to improve the expensive ham-drying process resulting in reduced wasted products.
