29 Oct 2024

Backing up evisceration

Essential post-evisceration operations required

On leaving the evisceration department, products should be clean to guarantee the longest possible shelf life, attractively presented and with no broken bones. Necks should have been harvested and neck skins trimmed to the appropriate length. Quite some automation is involved in these back end operations.

While the main job to be done in the evisceration department is to draw the viscera cleanly from the carcass, there are a number of other operations after the evisceration process, whose correct function is crucial to yield, product quality and shelf life.

NIC Neck Skin Inspection Machine

Cleaning the inside

It can be that bits of crop have been left behind after evisceration, as well as bits of esophagus and trachea left behind after the Head and Trachea Puller. Just like the presence of thymus glands, these bits will compromise shelf life if left on the neck skin. They should therefore be removed.

Marel’s NIC (Neck Inside Cleaner), aka Neck Skin Inspection Machine, installed immediately after the evisceration system, does this crucial job. At higher line speeds (over 10,500 bph) and if heavier product is processed, Marel recommends its vacuum-assisted version. The vacuum draws the inside of the neck flap onto the machine’s units, allowing more aggressive scraping of the flap. The vacuum-assisted NIC has a further advantage. Its hollow units allow water to flow through, washing the inside of the neck flap and carcass. At lower capacities, this could even be sufficient to dispense with a separate Inside/Outside Washer, saving both space and money.

Sprays positioned at the machine’s outfeed, standard on all NIC machines, give the outside of the carcass a thorough wash.

Reference Series

All machines from the NIC to the RW Inside/Outside Washer are capable of handling up to 15,000 bph and come in the reference series format.
Reference Series machines have self-supporting frames with connections to most utilities arranged centrally, simplifying and speeding up installation. There are no horizontal surfaces and blind corners, where residues can build up, making all-important thorough cleaning between shifts both quicker and easier. Operator safety and good housekeeping have not been forgotten either. All RS machines come complete with full guarding and integral collection bins under each machine collect waste neatly. Collection bins can be connected to a central vacuum transport system.
The icing on the cake is that machines can be taken offline without affecting technological settings. Once the machine is put back inline, it resumes where it left off, thereby saving valuable time.

Necks

Neck removal and the trimming of neck skin follow cleaning of the inside of the neck skin. No matter how necks are sold and neck skins trimmed, Marel has the necessary equipment.

Many processors want to leave as much neck skin on the carcass as possible. The NLS (Neck Skin Longitudinal Slit) applies a longitudinal slit to the neck skin, essential if the inside of neck skins is to be checked by hand. A slit neck skin also makes packing easier. The NLS machine is installed ahead of the Neck Cracker as necks must be still on the product for the NLS to function properly.

The Marel Neck Cracker cracks and removes necks, which can then be transported to the edible giblet handling and packing area.

For those customers, who sell necks skin-on, the machine can also crack necks and move them slightly downwards. Final separation then happens in the RNT Neck Skin Trimmer, which cuts through the neck skin and not the neck.

Neck skin

Product presentation is all important, particularly if a substantial percentage of product is sold whole. In this situation, neatly trimmed, straight neck flaps are a “must”. The RNT Neck Skin Trimmer positions products by the shoulders and trims all neck flaps to the same length. The machine’s trimming blade can be set to give any length of neck flap.

Neck Cracker

Final inspection

The presence of lungs or other internal organs in the eviscerated cavity can substantially impact shelf life. The FIM Rotovac machine removes these remnants, while leaving the kidneys intact. The way in which the machine’s units descend into the cavity prevents any damage to the ribs. Such damage is particularly unwelcome to the fast- food industry.

Vacuum is provided by blowers rather than by a vacuum unit, as this method is more efficient and costs less to maintain and run.

For the highest line speeds and where space is at a premium, the FIM RotoVac machine with 20 units can incorporate the RNT neck skin trimming functionality to give the FTIM RotoVac. Combining the two machines has other advantages too. It is cheaper and the waste from both operations can be removed together.

FTIM RotoVac

Inside/Outside Washer

As the last function in an evisceration line, all products are given a thorough wash both outside and inside. This is the job of the RW Inside/Outside Washer. Special versions of this machine are available both in those markets where a given quantity of water under greater pressure has to be used and in markets where water is scarce. Products can enter the machine with either their backs or their breasts to its center, giving greater layout flexibility.

Who eats necks?

At about the size of a skinny little wiener sausage, there isn’t very much meat on a neck, it is all vertebrae (tiny bones), skin and stringy tiny bits of meat. Not many people eat chicken necks, whether skinless or with skin. In whole-griller markets, necks are often included with the organs in a bag placed inside the whole griller. Most of the time, necks are processed for pet food. When prepared for human consumption, necks are usually boiled for soups (such as ‘bone broth’) or gravies.

In China, chicken necks are a popular street food and bar snack, often marinated in spices like Sichuan pepper, chili, and soy sauce.
In Korean cuisine, chicken necks can be grilled or stir-fried and served with spices and sauces. The skin contributes to the savory and slightly crispy texture.
In Japan, chicken necks are used in seseri yakitori (skewered chicken) and are grilled with the skin on, providing a mix of crispy and tender textures.
In countries like Russia and Poland, but also in Mexico and South Africa, chicken necks are often used in traditional soups, broths, or stews, with the skin left on for added richness, offering a flavorful and cheap meal option.

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