Vacuum packaged cold meat flow points sharing

[Chinese Packaging News] vacuum packaged meat is a common method in the world. As the country with the largest meat consumption in the world, China widely uses vacuum-packed cold-fresh or frozen meat on its export or domestic market.

Vacuum packaging allows the meat to be packaged to have a longer shelf life and a more stable quality, ensuring that the product enters the market in the best condition.

Here we describe how to vacuum pack cold meat.

1. Oxygen barrier bags are generally stored in a cool, dry place below 30°C.

2. After slaughtering the animal, the carcass must be precooled to below 10°C as soon as possible, that is, the center temperature of the hind leg falls below 10°C.

There are three main points in the vacuum packaging process. They are:

1) Good control of the temperature and processing speed within the partition.

The time for meat to stay in the partition should not exceed 40 minutes. This means that the total time for the carcass to return to the cold room after entering the deboning room to vacuum packaging should not exceed 40 minutes.

2) Hygiene is a crucial point in any cold meat packaging system.

It is necessary to attach importance to hygiene in slaughter and deboning. Meat should not be piled on the dividing table, because it will cause some products to "advance", which will lead to the increase of temperature and bacteria.

3) High quality packaging materials.

Make sure your supplier provides you with the correct package size and that the packaging material meets the requirements of food safety standards.

3. Make sure that your bag size meets the correct specifications.

When using a bagger, loading becomes easier. Do not use oversized or undersized bags. Unsuitable packaging will affect the vacuum effect and make it more difficult to shrink the package. Excessive waste caused by excessive packaging. Always keep the interior of the bag clean, without any meat residue.

4. The package material must not be damaged during bagging to vacuum packaging.

When you put the bagged meat in the vacuum chamber, make sure that you don't use the sealing stick to pull the bag too tight. Leave about 50-75 mm of free space in the bag, which helps with better packing performance. Smooth the crease of the bag at the sealing line, and place the product bag tightly into the vacuum chamber to ensure that the open side of the bag is completely in the vacuum chamber.

For larger parts, make sure that there is about 50 mm of free space on the bag's inner seal. This helps with vacuum packaging and can also reduce the pressure on shrink packaging during future transportation.

5. Make sure the vacuum machine is working properly.

Make sure that the tape covering the seal is in good condition and there is no trace of burning or damage. Because the damaged plastic sealing bag will damage the overall sealing performance of the package, eventually causing leakage of the package, causing damage to you and your customers. Protective maintenance is more economical and effective than repairs after damage.

6. Why shrink the oxygen-blocking bag?

1) The shrinkage process thickens the packaging bag, making the packaging material tougher;

2) Shrink wrap eliminates wrinkles and tiny streaks, prevents blood water from penetrating and affects the color and taste of fat;

3) Shrinkage reduces the "capillary" phenomenon caused by wrinkling of the film.

4) Shrinkage can further reduce the oxygen permeability of the bag.

5) When the packaging is damaged accidentally during the distribution process, the shrinking package is not easy to loosen, so that the meat is in a relatively protected state, thereby reducing the loss.

7. The use of hot water or automatic shrink tunnels and other shrinking equipment, the temperature should be controlled at 83 °C -85 °C.

1) If the pipe is too hot, it may "burn" the surface of the meat.

2) If the temperature is too low, the packaging bag cannot shrink properly, posing a risk to meat products.

3) During the production process, check the shrinkage water temperature at regular intervals.

4) The shrinkage of vacuum-packed meat in hot water takes between 1 and 1.5 seconds.

8. Pack it correctly.

1) The meat after vacuum shrink packaging must be strictly inspected before packing;

2) Put the meat into the box with the fat side facing up. Do not throw packaged meat into the carton. This may cause the package to leak.

3) Do not overfill the carton. Overcrowded cartons can damage vacuum bags and cause product damage.

9. Operation points.

1) Keep the top of the package up and seal to the top of the carton;

2) The fat in the carton faces upwards;

3) To avoid prolonged processing time, remember that: 40 minutes is the upper limit of the time from the carcass to the deboning chamber and the meat to the refrigerated warehouse;

4) Avoid excessive stacking of meat in cartons;

5) The carton code should not be too high;

6) In the eviscerate room to maintain the continuous movement of meat, time delays will cause temperature rise and bacterial growth;

7) Raise all the bags, not just the top of the bags;

8) Quickly return the packed meat to the cold room;

9) The internal temperature of the meat must be reduced to 0°C to 1°C within 24 hours.