Specialty and SmallScale Poultry Processing By Akrum Hamdy

Specialty and Small-Scale Poultry Processing By Akrum Hamdy

Types of processing On-farm processing Mobile Processing Units (MPUs) Small plants (I. e. pilot plant) Large plants

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 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) 40 F within 4 hours (4 -8 lbs) 40 F within 6 hours Turkeys (greater than 8 lbs) 40 F 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 32 F 45 minutes Pre-chiller 55 -60 F 15 minutes

Air chill Soft scald Temperature 20 -35 F 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 person per hour Experienced processor with equipment handling at least 4 birds at a time: 15 birds 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