APPLICATION OF MEAT PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES

Lamb meat samples have been sent to Germany for testing with the German produced hand held Raman instrument by researchers at the University of Bayreuth. Matching samples will be tested for shear force in the Cowra lab and then analysis will be undertaken to examine how well the Raman instrument can predict tenderness.

 

Electrical stimulation equipment was found to be operating incorrectly in the abattoirs collaborating with the CRC to process the INF lambs after the first round of INF lambing. A CRC project was immediately established to rectify the equipment, solving the pH x temperature compliance in all collaborating abattoirs. However it is clear that a follow up auditing of systems is required across the industry. A series of recommendations for MSA for future testing of electrical stimulation compliance has been prepared and presented to MSA. In association with this work, CRC meat science staff have spoken at a series of workshops organized by MINTRAC. It is anticipated that further presentations will be made at MINTRAC organized workshops later in 2010

 

Samples of the loin and topside have been collected from the first two Rutherglen kills (n~115) for work on meat colour stability. These samples have been packaged at SRS Packaging (Tottenham) and returned to MRTC Werribee for display as an over-wrap and modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) product for 4 days and 9 days respectively. Samples have been collected for fatty acid (FA) and Vitamin E analysis. Ultimate pH measurements have been collected on the topside, in addition to the routine measurements conducted on the loin as part of the sheep CRC INF phenotyping.

There is significant potential for technology such as NMR and NIR to play an integral role in online measurement of meat quality attributes in Australian abattoirs. A commercially relevant application of NMR may be in the online measurement of marbling/intramuscular fat content and the water holding capacity of meat. Intramuscular fat and the water holding capacity are important determinants of meat eating quality. The development of technology like NMR for carcass quality assessment could enhance the competitiveness and profitability of the Australian Meat Industry by supporting a carcass-trading system based on the value of each carcass as a further step to yield based trading. MLA funding has facilitated a collaborative research approach between Murdoch University and AgResearch, NZ. Both organisations are working with the commercialiser of NMR technologies, Magritek Limited, a science and technology company based at the University of Wellington.

 

The collaborative team has tested two new prototype low field NMR instruments developed by Magritek. The Halbach unit is benchtop unit which is expected to be used predominantly in the lab and the other is called the ‘Mole’ which is comprises of an open-axis unit which may be applicable to adoption in a meat plant for the online assessment of meat quality. The Halbach unit was shown to be moderately correlated with tenderness and press drip. By contrast the Mole still requires significant engineering and testing by Magritek to counteract a low signal to noise ratio due to instability in the magnetic field affecting the measurements. Using an updated NMR mole samples will be measured in carcasses from lambs slaughtered as part of the IN Flock. If strong correlations are apparent between tenderness, intramuscular fat and mole measures then further research will aim to develop NMR into an automated online assessment tool with high precision and accuracy. NIR technology also has potential for on-line measurement and in future years will be examined in a collaborative manner with MLA.

 

The ability to manipulate meat tenderness is integral to a target of tender in 24 hours and this project will contribute to this goal. Chilling conditions that minimise weight loss, without negatively impacting on tenderness present a significant saving to industry. Very fast chilling (VFC) has been proposed as a method to optimise processing efficiency by reducing processing time and chilling inventories and this approach will be studied in this project. Development work under way on a machine funded by MLA (known as the Boa) to stretch meat offers scope for integration with the removal of the FQ pre-rigor so as to prevent shortening and potentially reduce toughness. The stretching will also change the shape of the FQ and potentially predispose the FQ to portion cutting. Such an approach will only be applicable to lean lambs to avoid excessive seam fat and the scope for this approach will be examined in this project. This work is underway in collaboration with a large processor and has commericalisation as an outcome of the R&D program.

 

The current method to age sheep in Australia relies on dentition and the eruption of teeth. This system is very inaccurate and recent research has shown that in a mob of research sheep that the age to erupt the first permanent incisor was from 369 to 483 days, with definite differences between breeds (Hopkins et al. 2007). Previous Sheep CRC1 research has shown that eye lens weight provides a very precise estimate of age (to within a week). The potential to develop a new system of ageing sheep will be studied in this project.

 

The personnel engaged in this project will provide a technical resource to assist the adoption process of technologies that are confirmed to be of value.

 

This project will occur in close collaboration with the division of client innovation and services (CIS) within Meat and Livestock Australia and the project scope is developed in consultation with CIS – this division manages research for the processing sector. Accordingly outcomes from CRC research will be incorporated into adoption packages with MLA. At least yearly meetings will be held where commercial opportunities will be discussed and go/no go decisions made in light of CRC and MLA results. A key component is to also expose the CRC supply chain partners to this research.