From the farm to the table: the phases which pork meat goes through

Untill it gets to our tables, pork meat goes thorugh different phases. Unlike cattle or sheep meat, the pork must goes through several processes within the slaughterhouse to assure its quality.

 

Pork meat is a very special product, also considered "white meat" by the WHO, which indicates that it is a healthier food type, with good nutritional properties and a fine complement to a healthy diet. Of course, pork sausages and derivatives, alongside with serrano ham are delicacies that puts Spain on the top of food exportations, highlighting the unique flavour and a superioir quality of these, both inside and outside our borders. 

But what makes this possible? Of course a good breeding of the animal and the fact it is growing in good conditions, according the animal welfare regulations are a guarantee. However, both slaughterhouse and cutting room phases are a key to determine the quality of the meat. This is because, unlike any other type of animal, the pig goes through several phases inside the slaughterhouse, to ensure that the meat we consume has the most optimal conditions. 

About this, both meat producers and machinery manufacturers know a lot. This is because, once again, the many processes pork meat experiments till it arrives the cutting room. Starting with the stunning, for the pork meat it is phase in which it is very important to assure the less suffering of the animal. For this, different, specific and top equipments are used, like the stunning system by CO2. After the animal bleeding, the carcass goes through other three phases before the dressing.

Scalding

This is one the phases tha highlights the difference between pork meat and other lines, and it consists of the beggining of the carcass cleaning, and the preparation of the skin for hair removal. The key is to transmit high temperature to the skin without damaging the surface of the meat. For this operation, water is used as a conductive element. It can be carried out by using several equipments, depending of the productions needs. For example, it can be performed by immersion in a water raft, showering or water vapor condensation.

dehairing

This phase is the key of all the pork processing inside the slaughterhouse. The dehairing consist of removing the hair from the animal skin uising robust equipment that can achieve a high volume of production according the needs of the producer. Depending of the volume of work there are several machines with which to achieve these goals, with the 100% of efectivity.

carcass cleaning

A partir de aquí se lleva a cabo el ‘doble check’ del procesado del cerdo en el matadero. Consiste en la limpieza exhaustiva de la canal para eliminar restos de pelo y suciedad que pudieran haber quedado en la carne. Este proceso asegura que la canal esté libre de contaminación, especialmente si este proceso está automatizado. Para esto contamos con tecnología y desarrollo aplicados a través de las flageladoras, que mediante el choque continuo de latiguillos con las canales, eliminan los restos de suciedad y pelo, y a través del horno chamuscador, que completa este proceso mediante la emisión de llamaradas directas sobre la superficie de la piel para rematar y eliminar toda impureza que pudiera haber quedado en la carne.

From this point, we proceed the double check of the pork proccess in the slaughterhouse. It consists in the deep carcass cleaning to eliminate the hair and dirt that might remained on the meat. This proccess ensure the carcass is free from any contamination, specially when this process is automated. For this, we apply technology and development by using  whipping machines, which, by a continuous hitting of whips to the carcass, it removes any kind of dirt and remaining hair, and through the singer burner, the process is complete by shoooting flames directly onto the skin surface to top off the process and remove any impurity that could have stayed on the carcass.

 

After all these processes, the carcass goes thorught the dressing, with an appropiate evisceration, cutting, weighing and marking. From this point, the meat arrives to the cutting room, where it will be prepared for its distribution, reaching our homes eventually. To get the point where the consumer is enjoying a high quality food, the meat has gone through a different processes that guarantee this. The goal of manufacturers will be to create equipment that meets the expectations of producersm ant contribute to this complex chain of pheases, so the final product can be on the top.