DMRI Pork Profit Meat Quality

DMRI Maximized Shelf Life Your Short Cut to Best Practise – From Production to Customer Meat producers are facing a growing demand from retailers to extend the shelf life of their products to reduce waste. The shelf life of fresh meat products can be the decisive factor in securing orders. Therefore, a maximized shelf life holds significant value. An efficient and hygienic slaughter process, proper chilling and subsequent chill chain, packaging method and adherence to hygiene standards can expedite your journey to achieving a maximized shelf life. DMRI has for decades worked with maximized shelf life and we are here to assist you in achieving the maximum possible shelf life for the products manufactured at your facility.

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www.dti.dk/pork-quality

Maximized shelf life – Maximized potential profit

COMPETITIVENESS

MARKETS

ORDER VOLUME

SUSTAINABILITY

Outcompete your competitors by offering your customers longer product shelf life

Extend your outreach and explore new markets

Deliver larger quantities to your regular clients and reduce the transportation cost per item

Longer shelf life provides the basis for less food waste.

Current: 1.3-billion-ton food waste globally

All meat producers unanimously acknowledge that a maximized shelf life of their products is a powerful competitive advantage. Nevertheless, for most, it is challenging to assign a precise value to, for example, an extra five days of shelf life in exact monetary

terms. It is typically the derived benefits, such as enhanced competitiveness, expanded market access, larger batch sizes, and improved sustainability resulting from a maximized shelf life, that ultimately leads to a higher revenue.

Achieve more than 50 days of shelf Life The shelf life of pork is influenced by the entire process, from the pig being slaughtered to the meat reaching the consumer’s table. Shelf life is constrained by the introduction and proliferation of microorganisms, as well as the oxidation of the meat’s fat. Production

flow, packaging, and distribution temperature are significant factors affecting the introduction and growth of microorganisms. The appropriate choice of packaging and chilling is pivotal in obtaining the maximum achievable shelf life.

60

Shelf Life (Days)

50 40

Aerobe Packaging

30 20 Modified Atmosphere

10 20

36

58

13

20

31

9

11

17

0 -1

2

Storage Temperature (˚C)

5

Vacuum Packed

Predicted shelf life of pork cuts depending on storage temperature and packaging type in a best practice scenario.

Temperature and Microbial Load

˚C

Bacterial Count 8

60

7

50

6

40

5

30

4

20

3

10

2

0

1

-10

0

log (CFU/cm2)

Surface Temperature 70

End Cutting

End Chilling

End QCT

Start QCT

Start Clean Line

End Flaming

Start Flaming

End Scalding

Start Scalding

Lairage

Development in temperature and microbial load at a slaughterhouse with a best practice process.

An insight to the specific company and local conditions is essential to identify and provide the key factors that will likely impact meat shelf life. One critical factor influencing shelf life is overall slaughter hygiene, encompassing conditions on both unclean and clean slaughter lines,

as well as the effectiveness of the chilling process.

Subsequent steps in meat handling, such as cutting, boning, and packaging, involve time, temperature controls, operational hygiene, and packaging methods, all of which play a crucial role in determining meat shelf life.

Our approach to maximizing product shelf life We will employ a systematic approach to determine how you can best maximize the shelf life of your products with minimal cost. A typical project consists of four phases as described below.

PHASE 1 — Production Survey • From animal processing to product shipment, our focus encompasses slaughter hygiene, carcass chilling, packaging, storage, cleaning, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), etc.

• We aim to collect time-temperature data and assess microbial loads at critical processing points.

PHASE 2 — Shelf-Life Potential • Baseline shelf life: The current shelf life of your major products will be determined through on-site trials, conducted using either your established procedure or a DMRI standard method.

• Obtainable shelf life: Taking into account the “necessary actions and changes” from phase 1, along with the baseline shelf life, we estimate the realistic obtainable shelf life of your major products.

PHASE 3 — Implementation & Supervision • The activities in Phase 3 will be based upon the findings from the two preceding phases. These activities may encompass various CAPEX projects, such as redesigning carcass chilling process or optimizing logistics and the cold chain within your factory. Additionally, it could involve implementing a GMP training program for your slaughter line employees, adjusting procedures, and making process improvements in both the clean and unclean slaughter lines.

PHASE 4 — Follow Up • We will use the same procedure as employed in phase 2 to determine your baseline shelf life and check if you have reached the expected obtainable shelf life as estimated in phase 2.

• If any discrepancies from the expected shelf life are identified, we will thoroughly examine the reasons and make necessary adjustments.

Lars Kristensen Head of Meat Quality, PhD Process Design and Operations M lrk@teknologisk.dk T +45 72 20 26 70

www.DMRI.com

DMRI Maximized Shelf Life — Project Progress

• Our objective is to generate a list of necessary actions and changes in order to maximize the shelf life of your products.