Optimum breast meat tenderness

Marel’s In-line Tenderness Management System speeds up the resolution of rigor mortis and the breakdown of proteins. It consists of two in-line processes, RapidRigor electro-stimulation and MaturationChill maturation chilling. Results are optimum tenderness and product presentation, increased shelf life, repressed bacteria growth and reduced weight loss. In an average of three hours, depending on product weight and the end temperature required, the In-line Tenderness Management System achieves in-line identical or higher levels of tenderness to those obtained overnight in conventional maturation storage off-line.

RapidRigor

RapidRigor applies pulses of electricity to the product to remove energy left in the muscles post mortem. Extensive scientific research done by Marel in cooperation with respected institutes proved that the most effective place to electro-stimulate products is immediately after the last plucker, where it cannot compromise bleed-out or defeathering.

Shock Maturation Chill

Shock Maturation Chill is a two-phase multi-tier system that both chills and tenderizes. In the first phase, all external and internal surfaces are chilled down OPTIMUM breast meat tenderness For consumers in many markets, chicken meat means tender, juicy breast fillet bought for cooking at home or ready cooked as a tasty convenience product. Processors should respond to this by applying a tenderness management technology, which gives consistently good results, is cost-effective and allows product to flow smoothly through the processing plant without the need for off-line storage. Marel’s In-line Tenderness Management System works for all broiler types, also for slow-growing chicken. Combined Rapid Rigor and Shock Maturation chilling process very quickly using very cold air (-1°C) circulated by ventilator/evaporator assemblies at high velocities. At the same time, moisturizing cabinets humidify the surfaces at intervals, to apply a thin film of water. This will make the chilling process even more intense and reduce weight loss to a minimum. All of these measures inhibit the growth of micro-organisms (bacteria) and don’t negatively affect the maturation process. In the second maturation phase, product is chilled down more slowly using a gentle flow of less cold air at lower velocities. The aim of the second phase is to keep product for as long as possible at temperatures where proteolytic activity is greatest, thereby accelerating protein breakdown.

Fully in-line process

When products are matured off-line, this is often done in crates in a special chilled store. This can result in misshaped products leading to less accurate cutting in automatic cut-up systems. Marel’s tenderness solution does away with the need to mature products off-line. By keeping birds in-line and suspended from the shackles at all times, In-line Tenderness Management keeps products in good shape, resulting in increased cutting accuracy and optimized yield. The system saves space, as maturation happens much more quickly. It also saves labor, as products no longer have to be transferred manually in and out of maturation storage. Hygiene and shelf life benefit too, as there is no longer any handling of product by operatives. All these savings make In-line Tenderness Management also very cost effective. Last but not least, the in-line process also enables full traceability. All products are individually traceable through both primary and secondary processes.

Improved yield and shelf life

Quicker rigor mortis resolution and proteolysis together with the application of a thin film of water reduce loss of valuable moisture. This prevents products from drying out and improves overall tenderness. Yield, product quality and taste benefit and there is less dripping loss when meat is further processed. A quicker process also means longer shelf life, as products reach the supermarket shelf sooner.

Also for slow-growing broilers

Marel’s In-line Tenderness Management System works effectively for both electrically and CAS stunned products. It issuitable for all usual broiler live weights and for all current production capacities up to 15,000 bph [250 bpm]. For all types of chickens, Marel’s In-line Tenderness Management System succeeds in getting control of the quality. This also goes for slow-growing broilers. Due to their longer life, their meat shows a slower tenderization. This means that slowgrowing chicken can profit even more from tenderness stimulation and sped up maturation time than regular broilers.

What are rigor mortis and proteolysis?

The occurrence and decay of rigor mortis and proteolysis (breakdown of proteins) are important aspects of the maturation process and have a crucial influence on chicken fillet meat tenderness. These phenomena happen naturally with time and the required level of tenderness can be achieved by storing chilled product off-line for many hours before breast filleting can start. Over time, however, product dries out, drip loss occurs, shelf life is shortened and processing, presentation as well as eating quality can be adversely affected. All of these developments are undesirable, and have been eliminated by Marel's solution.