Once the initial slaughter and processing of cattle is complete, the carcass is inspected for quality, chilled and passed to the deboning room. Deboning is a key step in the abattoir process and it can be labour-intensive.
Hygiene is critical during deboning to minimise contamination and condemnation. The deboning and packing steps should be set up to minimise how many times the meat is handled and ensure the outgoing product consistently meets quality standards.
Deboning room layout
The deboning room can be planned to facilitate efficient, hygienic and scalable meat processing. Deboning room equipment includes cutting and trimming tools, sanitisation stations and conveyors,
The physical arrangement of the boning room is the first determinant of performance. Equipment should be arranged to ensure minimal meat handling steps — this reduces the risk of contamination. Rail-boning is preferable as it significantly reduces microbial contamination.
Equipment and workflows should be set up to optimise both workflow efficiency and hygiene. Mechanical handling equipment, conveyor belts and chutes that separate fat and bone from the edible processing area can help to reduce labour and manual handling risks.
Creating a logical workflow with the right combination of meat processing plant equipment from the outset, with room to scale in future, will set the abattoir up for success.
Effective meat processing machines for beef
Deboning a beef carcass can be a labour-intensive process, so selecting tools and machinery that improve efficiency and ergonomics is key to better comfort for workers and process optimisation.
From manual handling equipment to ergonomically designed Whizard trimmers, each piece of equipment should support an efficient workflow.
Boning
Boning and slicing operations should be set up to minimise boners having to lift or throw the product, and slicers also avoid reaching for the meat. Rail boning has some advantages over table boning, with less handling of the meat product reducing the likelihood of contamination.
Conveyors should be set up to minimise lifting — this helps to ensure worker health and safety. Beef skeletons are usually not left intact due to the difficulty of repositioning the side during boning of the hind quarters. Material handling equipment should be set up to optimise workflow and ensure a smooth transition.
Trimming
Effective and efficient bone and fat trimming with the Quantum design Whizard trimmer from Bettcher Industries makes achieving optimal yields easier. This tool is used widely across Australia in both large and small beef processing operations to trim meat from fat and bone.
Spare parts are readily available from FPE to minimise any downtime and reduce any risk of the production line being held up, which can result in the condemnation of meat in the process.
Cutting and slicing
Beef meat is prepared for packaging by cutting into the correct size. To do this, meat processing and portioning machines from Magurit provide frozen slicing, frozen block guillotines and various other cutting specifications to reduce the size of meat ready for packaging.
The Magurit Galan 930 provides a 2D cut to reduce trim size down, ready for sorting and crating. Primal cuts are separated for packing and wrapping while manufacturing meat is conveyed into cartons for further processing.
Scanning weight and chemical lean
Plastic crates of manually sorted trim are scanned through the Eagle PI X-Ray machine to reveal the chemical lean of each crate. Contaminants in the crate are rejected directly following the X-Ray.
Mechanically deboning meat
Mechanically deboning beef using a mechanical separator machine recovers a product that can be used for bulking, ready-made foods like lunch meats or hamburgers, or pet food.
A robust separator is required to mechanically debone beef. These heavy-duty machines must be able to withstand a high sustained thrust load. POSS Separators provide the highest yield with the lowest temperature rise and effectively remove bone from beef to recover meat that is safe for consumption.
Hygiene and critical control points
All machinery in the deboning room must meet hygiene standards, be easy to clean and be rust-free. Choosing high-quality stainless steel machinery is important to ensure efficiency in cleaning and minimising downtime.
Monitoring critical control points in beef processing is also essential, from the initial carcass inspection to temperature checks and foreign object detection before cartons are shipped.
Customise your deboning process for optimal efficiency and yield with support from FPE
With equipment for hot, warm or cold deboning, cutting, slicing, removing fat, mechanically separating meat from bone and industrial hygiene, FPE can help optimise abattoir processes to ensure efficiency, yield and quality.
Our services extend beyond selling abattoir equipment to conducting food audits, including ISO Management Systems Certifications that can help abattoirs to find efficiencies, enhance capability and increase customer confidence.
Whether verifying chemical lean calibration, setting up or replacing equipment, training staff in the effective use of beef processing equipment or introducing new technologies to streamline performance, FPE partners with meat processors to promote success.
To learn more about improving your processes, systems or equipment, call FPE on AU 1800 882 549 or NZ 0800 100 003.
Frequently asked questions
What is the process of deboning beef?
Deboning beef involves cutting meat away from the bone using traditional knives or a Whizard knife and trimming and cleaning. Deboned parts are typically packaged as fresh or flash-frozen consumer products.
What are the disadvantages of deboning meat?
Deboning meat requires a hygienic and efficient process to produce high-quality, edible products. When time inefficiencies occur or poor technique is used, the quality of the final product may be compromised by contamination, lean meat can be wasted and mechanically deboned meat may be vulnerable to oxidation and spoilage. To maintain the highest quality, it is critical to have the proper processes, equipment and trained staff.
How can I ensure safety while deboning beef?
Laying out the boning room to minimise occupational health and safety risks and manual handling risks is the first step. Equipment should be ergonomically sound and easy for operators to use. Procedures and processes should be thoughtfully designed to ensure safety and hygiene, with training for all staff at regular intervals.
More on abattoir processes:
- Cattle Stunning
- How To Trim Beef Efficiently
- Beef Skinning
