Transcript Chicken
America’s Favorite Meat Source
Appeal Of Chicken
In the year 2000, Chicken surpassed Beef as
American’s most popular meat source.
In 1975, the U.S. consumed an average of 35 lbs
(~16kg) per person
In 2000, the U.S. consumed an average of 80 lbs
(~36kg) per person
Chicken consumption has grown at an average
rate of 5% per year since 1975
Reasons For Growth In
Consumption Rate
Chicken is a relatively cheap food source; the
average cost to produce is ~ $1/kg
Easy Meal Solutions
Positive Health Messages
Well known chicken fast food chains
- KFC
- McDonalds’ Chicken McNuggets
Stunning and Bleeding
Birds are removed carefully from their crates by
holding both legs and placing carefully on the
overhead rail in shackles
Brine bath stunning
Brine and the metal in shackles act as two electrodes
Once birds head contacts bath, it is stunned
Uniformity of size is important
After cutting, allow bird to bleed for 1.5 - 2 min
Scalding and Defeathering
Overhead rail transports birds to scalding bath
(52°C )
Taken off rail and remove tail and flight feathers
Soft Feather removal:
Drum Plucker
Bowl Plucker
Scald Tank
Drum Plucker
Evisceration
The head is removed; neck is cut away
Giblets (liver, heart and gizzard) are
separated
Inedible parts are placed in bin
Inspection of bird and giblets
Birds are then washed in cold chlorinated water and
chilled in cooled water
Chicken is taken off overhead conveyor; feet are
chopped off
Cooling and Cutting
Birds are cooled in a Chill Store
Lower temp. from 35°C to 5°C in two hours
Must be cut quickly before temperature rises
Carcasses may be prepared as whole birds or by
cutting into halves, quarters, legs, thighs,
wings, breasts, drumsticks or complete
deboning
Packing and Refrigeration
Chicken is packaged in plastic bags or on trays
Giblets are reunited with whole chickens
If operating at a high capacity, most of the
chickens will be frozen before dispatching
Blast freezing requires precision timing
Further Processing
Specialized operations or plants that receive whole
chicken or cut-up parts and perform a variety of
further processing steps, such as cooking, breading,
or marinating.