3. DIL Seminar on Meat and Meat Products
Introduction of innovative processes for cooked sausages and heat-cured products
Lively interest in periodic events
Quakenbrück. More than 70 participants, among them a delegation from Russia, met at the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) in October to learn more about the latest developments in meat and meat products presented by experts of the institute and external lecturers.
This year, the annual industrial event that took place for the third time focused on sustainable processes that differ significantly from the traditional processes applying time-temperature parameters. Fritz Kortschack, head of the DIL Competency Team, introduced the high-pressure process for the production of cooked ham. This process results in a prolonged shelf life but also refrains from using chemical additives and reduces the energy consumption. Added to that, it supports clean label products and minimizes waste. The hydrostatic pressures applied in this process are in the range between 100 and 1000 MPa.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Töpfl, head of the DIL division “Process Development”, introduced the use of pulsed electrical fields for the sterilization of blood plasma. Blood plasma is a large quantity by-product in slaughtering operations; it consists of valuable proteins. This raw material is hardly utilized economically because of hygiene problems and insufficient processing possibilities. The DIL offers the application of pulsed electrical fields within the scope of its ELEA technology at reasonable rates. This is another successful approach towards the further utilization of valuable raw materials in food production.
The production of cooked sausages including Wieners is still associated with expensive heat and energy consumption and also requires a large amount of time and personnel expenses. During the seminar, Fritz Kortschack presented a novel process that saves considerable amounts of time and costs. The sausage meat is filled into heat-resistant trays, then gently heated and immediately packed. The process also allows the braiding of strands provided they are long enough. This process is attractive because it can be applied in automatic continuous production processes with small space requirements and low energy consumption. The pasteurization process that combines heat and high pressure extends the shelf life of the products. The products are clean label because no chemical additives are needed any more. This worldwide unique process has been developed at the DIL.
During the lunch break, the participants had the chance to taste different new products. After that, a visit of the DIL's facilities gave several participants the chance to see the pilot plants and other equipment in action. Bernhard Hukelmann introduced a novel vacuum gripper which is able to transport and deposit irregularly shaped and pliable food products such as pieces of meat or sausages hygienically and reliably. This gripper can increase the efficiency of a production line and also improves the reliability and safety of the handling and depositing processes.
The research institute, situated in the center of the German food industry, is constantly expanding its possibility to provide innovative and new processes for meat, sausage and ham producers that do not have their own product development facilities. In this way, the institute is strengthening the competitiveness of the companies, which are mostly SMEs.
