Fat reduction in meat
Adding a meat defatting system to your production process allows you to process all types of meat with excessive fat content into food products instead of treating it as a byproduct.
Mechanically deboned meat (MDM), mechanically separated poultry (MSP), and red fatty meat cuts can be converted to fat-reduced products such as lean finely textured beef (LFTB), which can be utilized in the production of a variety of food products. The extracted fat can be sold as a valuable, edible fat ingredient.
Maximize raw material utilization
The fat content in some meat products is often excessive for use in food products and is sent to the animal byproduct channels. However, by reducing the fat content of the meat, a greater portion of the raw material can be utilized for food production, thereby increasing the overall value derived from it.
Modification of fat content in meat using a defatting stage in your slaughtering operation may also enable a higher trimming line speed since any meat that might be cut off with the fat is still recovered in the subsequent defatting stage.
Defatting systems
Alfa Laval’s Contherm scraped-surface heat exchangers and Foodec decanters are the core of Alfa Laval’s meat defatting system.
Fatty minced meat from poultry, beef, or pork is gently heated with Contherm scraped-surface heat exchangers to below 40°C. The fat melts quickly, while the meat does not change properties due to the low temperature and the short residence time.
The blend of meat and the liquid fat is thereafter directly separated in a decanter, generating a lean meat fraction and a fatty liquid phase. In order to maintain the meat quality and prevent bacteriological contamination, the meat is cooled immediately. This can be done using Alfa Laval Contherm SSHE coolers or using CO2 injection systems.
The result is a lean meat product meeting the modern customer’s expectations, with all the raw materials’ flavours and functionality intact, a highly sought-after characteristic for meat products such as burgers and chicken nuggets.
The fat fraction can be further heat treated and then purified in a separator before being dried in an Alfa Laval fat dryer to produce premium quality animal fat for direct consumption.
Complete service solutions for uninterrupted operations
With Alfa Laval as your service partner, you have direct access to qualified assistance and genuine spare parts whenever required. Our global network of service offices offers professional support ranging from troubleshooting and routine maintenance to advanced performance audits and predictive maintenance.
Through our remote services, we provide immediate assistance through digital channels. If you need on-site support, we will quickly dispatch field technicians to your site.
Alfa Laval offers full support for both individual components and entire process lines. Combining our reliable products and systems with Alfa Laval services is the best way to ensure performance and uptime.
For maximum return on your investment, we recommend entering an Alfa Laval Service Agreement. This fully customized service solution simplifies budgeting and maximizes performance and uptime. While you concentrate on your daily operations, we manage the planning, procurement, and execution of the required service measures.
