Chilling meat; requirements for chilling rooms

Question 1

Regulation (EU) 853/2004

Answer 1

• postmortem inspection must be followed immediately by chilling in the slaughterhouse
• ensure a temperature throughout the meat of not more than 3°C for offal and 7°C for other meat

Question 2

Temperatures for chilling meat

• offal:

Answer 2

< 3°C

• wild game:
- large=<7°C;small=<4°C
- must be within a reasonable period of time after killing
- where climatic conditions permit —> no active chilling necessary
• fish: < 0°C
- packaged fresh fishery products must be chilled to a temperature approaching that of melting
ice —> the melt water can’t remain in contact with the products

Question 3

Temperatures for chilling meat

• domestic ungulates meat:

Answer 3

< 7°C

• can be chilled by means of an ambient temperature of ≤ 12°C or an alternative system having the same effect
• can be boned and cut prior to reaching < 7°C if the cutting room is on the same site as the slaughter premises —> chilled immediately

Question 4

Temperatures for chilling meat

• poultry and lagomorphs:

Answer 4

< 4°C
- meat can be cut while warm:
- only if cutting room is at the same site as the slaughterhouse —> done either directly after slaughter of after a waiting period in a chilling or refrigerated room
- once cut —> chilled to < 4°C
- during cutting, boning, trimming, slicing, dicing, wrapping and packaging —> meat
temperature is maintained at < 4°C by means of an ambient temperature of 12°C
- immersion chilling:
- avoid contamination of carcass and take into account parameters e.g. carcass weight, water temperature, volume and direction of water flow, chilling time
- equipment should be cleaned once a day

Question 5

Hygiene during and after production

Answer 5

• immediately after production of minced meat and meat preparations —> wrapped or packaged and be chilled to an internal temperature of < 2°C for minced meat and < 4°C for meat preparations —> maintained during storage and transport
• flesh baring bones < 2°C

Question 6

Hygiene during and after production

1) Chilling of meat

Answer 6

1) Chilling of meat
- main aim = chill fast and keep surface of meat dry
- carcasses of freshly slaughtered animals have surfaces that are warm and wet —> perfect for
growth of pathogenic and spoilage organisms
- chilling immediately after slaughter reduces the surface temperature to a value below the
minimum growth temperature for many pathogens
- chilling + drying —> inhibits the growth of spoilage bacteria
10
- essential for prolonging shelf-life and for storage of fresh meat and most processed meat products
- surface temperature should be 0°C for 4 hours to minimise bacterial growth
- high standard of hygiene and packaging + temperature -2 to 5°C during storage, transport, and
display —> can extend shelf-life to 12 weeks
- maintained at about 1°C and preferably in the dark as light causes fat oxidation
- chicken and fish are kept at lower temperatures as they have less lactic acid (has bacteriostatic
effect)

Question 7

Important points for meat chilling

Answer 7

= constant temperature, good air circulation, right humidity:
- higher temperature and air velocities + low humidity —> increase the weight loss due to drying
out
- low temperature + high air speeds —> risk of cold shortening:
- = when chilled too quickly after slaughter it doesn’t allow glycogen in the muscle to be converted to lactic acid —> cold temperature induces an irreversible contraction of the muscle —> meat becomes tough
- relative humidity of 90% is suitable for commercial chilling and retail purposes

Question 8

Factors affecting chilling

Answer 8

• specific heat of the carcass
• carcass size: 12-24 hours for small carcasses, 48 hours in large carcasses
• amount of external fat —> fat reduces efficiency of heat dissipation
• temperature and chilling environment
• number of carcasses and space between them: sufficient space should be between them to
  allow air circulation

Question 9

Methods of meat chilling

Quick chilling:

Answer 9

• -3°C + 0,5 m/s —> chill to 1°C —> store
• rapid lowering carcass temperature no later than 1 hour after slaughter
• shorter chilling cycles and lower temperatures
• advantages:
• save time and building space
• meat has better keeping quality: lower air temperature (< -3°C) slows the rate of bacterial
  growth of the carcass surface
• reduced shrinkage of meat
• the “bloom” is enhanced (blooming = all meat is more of a purple colour until O2 hits it and the
  myoglobins turn red — oxymyoglobin)
• different time and temperature schedules for different types of carcasses
• must avoid surface discolouration and freezing of carcass
• air circulation rates:
• high in quick chilling operations, 70-110x the room volume per hour
• later once carcass temperature has been sufficiently lowered —> slower air circulation rates
  are more beneficial
• pork carcasses are smaller in size, skin is present, and has relatively higher fat content —> can tolerate much lower air temperatures —> shorter quick-chilling cycles, as short as 4-7h
  Ultra-rapid chilling:
• pork: -30°C + 1 m/s for 4 hours —> result in complete loss of hear in this short time, with a 1%
  saving in evaporative weight loss
• beef: - 15°C + 3 m/s for 5 hours —> result in reduction of shrinkage from 1,2 to 0,6 %

Question 10

Room requirements

Answer 10

• must be lockable facilities for the refrigerated storage of meat with a separate lockable facility for the storage of meat declared unfit for human consumption
• have installations that prevent contact between the meat and the floors, walls and fixtures
• meat must not touch other meat to prevent contamination but also to prevent them rubbing and
  therefore causing heat
• hang on rolls and distribute newer, warmer carcasses evenly in storage