Any enterprise working with meat products carries out meat procurement in accordance with a specific technological cycle. Primary processing of meat involves a number of operations - from thawing and drying to cutting. Let's consider each stage in more detail.
Thawing meat
This is the slowest process. Due to this, meat juice, which is contained in frozen meat in the form of crystals, is absorbed into muscle fibers during slow melting, and this allows the meat to almost completely restore its properties. Slow thawing leads to the fact that the meat loses only about 0.5% of the weight if it thawed in half carcasses. The primary processing of meat and offal begins with thawing, while this process involves observing a number of rules:
- meat must be thawed before being cut into pieces;
- thawing takes place in chambers where humidity is 85-90% at a temperature of 4-6 degrees;
- defrosting in chambers takes 2-3 days.
The meat can be thawed in a quick way, but already at a temperature of 16-18 degrees. After thawing, the meat is kept in the chamber for about a day, but already at a temperature of +2 degrees.
Defrost Features
The primary processing of meat begins with defrosting, which makes it possible to restore its original properties. You can’t thaw meat in water, chop carcasses into small pieces, as in this case, the raw material significantly loses meat juice, the nutritional value of meat decreases, the quality of semi-finished products becomes worse.
An important role in defrosting is played by washing the meat. It is necessary in order to remove microorganisms, spores, microbes and bacteria from its surface, which can be very much. When washing with warm water, surface seeding can be removed from meat by almost 99%.
Washing and drying
The technology of primary processing of meat necessarily includes washing and drying. In muscle fibers, the product is practically sterile, which cannot be said about its surface. If you do not finish the surface in time, microorganisms from the surface of the meat will fall into the semi-finished products, and they will be spoiled. To reduce bacterial contamination and remove mechanical impurities from the carcass, washing with warm water is used. This is enough to reduce surface seeding by microorganisms by 95-99%. Washing is carried out twice, and the same water cannot be reused.
The technology of primary processing of meat and meat products involves washing by hanging meat on hooks and rinsing with clean running water from a hose, hose or special shower. Meat washes can also be done in bathtubs using nylon or herbal brushes. Washed carcasses are cooled using cold water. After that, the meat is dried.
Drying
Primary processing of meat involves drying the carcass. For this, circulating air passed through filters at a temperature of up to 60 degrees is used. If the enterprise is small, then the meat can be laid on grates under special washing baths or hung on hooks, after which drying takes place either in air or by wiping with cotton napkins. The task of the process is not only to dry the surface of the meat, but also to prevent the growth of microbes.
Division into parts
The stages of the primary processing of meat are as follows:
- thawing meat;
- washing;
- drying;
- division into parts;
- boning;
- venation and stripping;
- manufacture of semi-finished products.
The cutting of carcasses into parts is carried out in accordance with the properties of muscle and connective tissue and taking into account how the meat will be used in the future - for frying, cooking, stewing and so on. Note that parts of the same carcass differ in nutritional value, and chemical composition, and calorie content, and taste. Therefore, the carcass is divided into commercial varieties - that is, for trade or for catering.
Beef cut
Primary processing of beef meat involves cutting the carcass. This is done as follows: half carcasses are cut into the rear and front half, and the division is carried out on the last edge. The front half is divided into cuts in the form of a scapula, neck, dorso-thoracic part, and the back - into tenderloin, hind leg and sirloin. In culinary cutting, the parts of beef carcasses that are slaughtered belong to three varieties:
- The first grade is fillet tenderloin, dorsal and lumbar parts, posterior pelvic part. They are used most often for frying, as such meat contains 3-4% of connective tissue.
- The second grade is the scapula, brisket and flake. This meat is used for stewing and cooking.
- The third grade is cutlet meat, shank. Here already up to 23% of connective tissue, so this meat is used in the preparation of meatballs and broths.
A special cutting grade and tools such as a butcher's ax or a circular saw are used for cutting. A chopping chair can be either round or square. They are made of hardwood.
Cuts of various meat products
There are various types of raw meat. The primary processing of meat and the quality of the finished product will differ in nutritional value and in the ratio of muscles, fat and bones. Accordingly, the cut of carcasses is performed on different varietal cuts. In Russia, there is a single scheme for cutting carcasses that are offered for retail. A separate scheme is used for culinary cutting when smoked meats and sausages are made. Beef, according to standards, is divided into 3 grades, veal into 3 grades, pork into two grades.
Boning and trimming of meat
Primary meat processing includes boning work. This process involves removing bones from half carcasses. Boning is performed on a special table using boning knives. After this operation, the venation is performed, that is, the meat is finally cleaned of films, bones, cartilage, veins to get different types of meat. In these operations, an important role is played by the skill of the deboner and the tenant, since the yield of marketable meat depends on the professional approach.
Poultry processing
The sequence of primary processing of poultry meat is somewhat different, since the main task of the initial stage of processing is to reduce the amount of blood in the carcass. The presentation of the carcasses and the features of their further storage depend on the degree of bleeding. If the carcasses are bleeding poorly, then the tissues will partially or completely redden, especially this will be noticeable in the neck and wings. And if blood remains in the blood vessels of the carcass, this creates favorable conditions for the development of microbes.
The technology of primary processing of meat also involves the removal of plumage, on the quality of which the quality of carcasses depends. Tears, scratches affect the reduction in the grade of chicken. Before removing the plumage, the bird undergoes heat treatment at the factory. During scalding, the bird is immersed in a heat treatment bath, where water actively circulates. This weakens the connection between the feather and the skin, so the feathers are easily removed. The water temperature in the bath is maintained at the right level thanks to automatic control.
Depending on the cooling methods, the heat treatment may be soft and hard. Soft modes are used to cool broiler chicken carcasses, and hard modes are used to cool gutted carcasses. Depending on whether the heat treatment technologies are followed, the scalding quality will also change. If the temperature of the heat treatment is below normal, the removal of plumage will be complicated.
The plumage is removed using automatic machines and machines of various types, due to which about 95% of the feather cover is automatically removed. During the operation of the machines, water is constantly supplied at a temperature of 45-50 degrees. The removed feathers are washed off with water in a special trench, which is mounted on the floor of the workshop. After the plumage is removed, the carcasses are fed to the area of the additional pinch, which is performed manually. With a special knife, the remaining feathers are first removed from the wings, neck, back and other parts of the carcass. The hairy feather is removed by a gas singeing chamber.
Gutting chicken
The quality of meat is affected by the quality of gutting carcasses. During the primary processing of raw materials, close attention is paid to this process. All procedures are carried out at a carefully cleaned workplace of a veterinary expert equipped with special equipment. Most often, gutting is done manually using a number of automatic systems. All technological operations must be carried out correctly so as not to damage the intestines, gall bladder - otherwise it will lead to contamination of the meat by microbes and deterioration of its quality.
Features of Chicken Freezing
For long-term storage or transportation, chicken meat is frozen. For this, already cooled and cooled carcasses are taken. Freezing should be performed quickly, which will affect the even distribution of ice crystals in muscle tissue. Slow freezing will affect the formation of a small amount of ice crystals, which will disrupt the composition of the tissue and affect the juiciness and tenderness of the product. At large enterprises, freezing is carried out in chambers and apparatuses in which air acts as a coolant. Depending on the fatness of the chicken, the freezing time can be up to 72 hours. The consumer receives chicken meat either chilled or frozen. If the carcasses were stored and transported correctly, this will not affect the deterioration of the taste of the chicken.
How semi-finished products are created
After the initial processing, the meat is divided into various parts that go into production. The peeled pieces of meat are also used for the production of convenience foods. Most of these products are made from minced meat. He, in turn, is prepared and crushed in an industrial meat grinder. Then the primary and heat treatment of meat is performed . Its task is to bring the product to a state of culinary readiness, while destroying microorganisms and increasing the resistance of products to any storage conditions. Due to the heat treatment of meat and meat products, the product undergoes a number of changes - physical and chemical.
Offal
After the initial processing of meat, internal organs remain, which are valuable in terms of cooking. The nutritional value of the tongue and liver is not inferior to the value of meat, and in the lungs, ears, trachea, the nutritional value is low. Offal is used in the preparation of a number of culinary products. Thus, after the initial processing, the meat is divided into a number of products that are used for commercial purposes. Subject to the technological process and all its stages, meat products are cut and delivered to the shelves in proper condition.