Transcript Specialty and Small-Scale Poultry Processing Types of processing On-farm processing Mobile Processing Units (MPUs) Small plants (I.e.

Specialty and Small-Scale
Poultry Processing
Types of processing
On-farm processing
Mobile Processing Units (MPUs)
Small plants (I.e. pilot plant)
Large plants
Size
Equipment
Cost
Labor
Capacity
Operation
Marketing
Comments
Types of Poultry Processing:
On-farm
Small
Outdoor or shed
2,000 to 3,000 sq. ft.
facility
Manual
Manual/Mechanical
Less than $1,000
Less than $400,000
Family
Family/hired
500-5,000 birds per
50-100 birds per day
day
Seasonal or yearSeasonal; 8 estimated
round; 20 estimated
processing days per
processing days per
year
year
Product sold fresh,
Fresh and frozen,
sometimes frozen;
whole and parts
whole birds
Independent
operation; laborIndependent or part of
intensive; usually non- a collaborative group
inspected
Large
150,000 sq. ft.
Fully automated
$25,000,000
Hired
250,000 birds per day
Year-round; process
daily
Mainly cut-up, sold
fresh, furtherprocessed
Part of an integrated
operation including
grow-out, processing,
and marketing
Activities required for ready-to-cook poultry:
Pre-slaughter: catching and transport
Immobilization, kill, and bleed
Feather removal: scalding and picking
Evisceration
Chilling
Packaging
Feed withdrawal
Catching
Loading
Transport
Immobilize/stun
Kill
Bleed
Types of scalding equipment:
Homemade scalders and dunkers
Stockpot
Used electric or propane water heaters
Very labor intensive
Scalder bath
Multi-stage scalders
Overflow
Temperature control
Pathogen control
Scalding 101
Types of Temp
Time
Comments
Scald
Very hard 160-180F 30-60 sec Waterfowl
Hard
Avoid
Soft
138-148F 30-75 sec Remove
outer skin
130-138F
123-130F 90-120 sec Leaves
skin and
color
Types of pickers
Homemade pickers
Used washing machines
Plastic 55-gallon drums
Small pickers
Drum
Tub
In-line pickers
Tub picker
Tubpicker
Drum picker
Remove head, oil glands, and feet
Eviscerate
Evisceration
Guts remain attached to bird for
inspection
Avoid tearing gut and causing microbial
Harvest giblets
Wash carcass
Specialty evisceration
New York dressed
Chilling
Lower temperature of carcass
Broilers
(4-lb)
40F within 4 hours
(4-8 lbs)
40F within 6 hours
Turkeys
(greater than
8 lbs)
40F within 8 hours
Rule of thumb:
One pound of ice per pound of meat
Used dairy equipment
Chilling:
Ice bath
Static
Pre-chilling
Prevents cold shortening
Gradual temperature reduction
Water uptake
8-12% water in carcass
Large chillers
Counter current
Overflow
Air Bubbles
Paddles or rakes
32F
45 minutes
Pre-chiller
55-60F
15 minutes
Air chill
Soft scald
Temperature 20-35F
Takes longer: 2 hours
No water uptake/less microbial contamination
More expensive equipment, space, utilities
Less water
Homemade air chill?
Yield
67% for broilers without giblets
Whole birds
Further processed
Cut-up
Parts
Deboned
Sizing and portioning
Formed
Whole (deli loaves)
Comminuted (nuggets)
Emulsified (hot dogs)
Curing and smoking
Brining
Hand deboning
Aging
Tenderness:
Poultry meat must age at least 4 hours before
eating or freezing
Rigor mortis
Stress before slaughter can lead to dark, dry meat
Packaging:
On-farm: bags, shrink bags
Shelf life: 6 days
Small plants: shrink bags, vacuum packing, totes
Shelf life: up to 12 days (vacuum)
Large plants: tray packs, bulk ice packs
Shelf life: 21 days (crust-frozen tray pack)
7-28 days (bulk, depending on modified atmosphere)
Storage:
Home refrigerators or freezers
Freezing extends shelf life to 6-12 months
Rate of freezing:
Slow freezing (3-72 hours): large ice crystals that
damage cells
Fast freezing (30 minutes): small ice crystals
Methods of freezing:
Still air (slow) used by home freezers
Blast freezing (fast)
Bone darkening seen in young chickens after freezing
Clean up
On-farm: hoses
Plants: pressure washers.
Waste:
Offal, feathers, blood
Wastewater Treatment:
Screen out big chunks
Remove small particles in water
Fat trap
Dissolved air flotation
Break down organic matter
Aerobic lagoons
Anaerobic lagoons
Trickling filters
Land application
Composting
Processing diverse species
Broilers, Cornish game hens, stewing hens, ducks, geese,
squab, turkeys
Multispecies processing:
Rabbits
Red meat and poultry in the same plant
Putting It All Together:
Batch vs continous processing
Processing rate:
Working alone with minimal equipment:
6 birds per person per hour
Experienced processor with equipment handling at least
4 birds at a time:
15 birds per person per hour
On-farm processing set-ups:
Less than $1000
Less than $15,000
Mobile Processing
Units (MPU):
A shared resource
$7,000-$12,000
Kentucky MPU - $70,000
1
Small Plant
Establishment
$100,000$400,000
Small Plants
Usually enclosed building
Separate areas for killing and evisceration
Keep edible product from coming in contact
with inedible.
GMP
SOP
SSOP
HACCP
Code of Federal Regulations