It's no secret how important sanitation is to a beef packer's operation. It is essential and crucial for safety-and success.
At the slaughter level, beef packers are working with suppliers to improve hide pulling in an effort to reduce contamination and improve sanitation.
Sanitary problems exist from the start when slaughter-ready-but dirty-cattle leave feedyards. In order to decrease the chance of contamination during the dehiding process, cattle need to be cleaned.
"The simple solution is to wash the cattle, but that can't be done," an expert says. "When washing cattle, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water are used, which adds to production costs. And the cattle are also put under a tremendous amount of stress."
Recently, some packers have opted for a "shop-vac" type of instrument to remove particles off the carcass as the animal passes through dressing procedures. This helps prevent contamination of the exposed carcass.
Better ventilation within a plant's confines also aids in the hide removal process. If the wind's direction is figured, a vacuum within the building can be created.
"If there's stagnant air within a plant and there's dust in the air, the dust will linger," an expert comments. "Better air flow allows for the removal of dust through filters and then out of the plant."
Packers need to be conscious of sanitation throughout the hide-pulling process. One manufacturer has created a hydraulic and electric machine that could aid the process. A spokesperson says the new method will replace the "banana bar" method.
The machinery utilizes three pieces of equipment, which work simultaneously: A head hold-down unit, which keeps the carcass in place; a rump hold-down conveyor; and a tail-puller assembly.
The rump hold-down conveyor prohibits the tail from slashing around, which keeps dust at a minimum. The procedure designates that the hide be pulled down, which also cuts down on contamination.
When the hide is removed from the belly area and the rump area, it's inserted in a clothes pin-type device and peeled off. The pin turns in a downward motion and peels the hide from the carcass.
"Basically, it strips the hide away from the clean area all of the time. That's a big key," the spokesperson says.
"The machine does a better job in the pull area," he adds. "And it's also more ergonomical. [A worker] is not fighting that banana bar, which is operated manually."
The machine can be operated by one person. Overall, the spokesperson says the new technology helps reduce contamination while improving yield.
The down-pulling procedure involved in hide removal has posed problems, one expert points out. Downward pulling allows for a cleaner dress, but it usually means less yield. The procedure can also break an animal's back, which propels meat out of proportion and downgrades the value of the animal.
Beef packers may also want to consider inverted dressing, which is used in the sheep industry. It involves a process where a machine pulls the hide off an animal and turns the hide inside out, a source says.
"Some of the major U.S. packers take the attitude that [foreign packers] can't compare to them [production-wise]," claims one expert, who says the inverted dressing is more sanitary, meaning increased shelf life. "They're right, but some U.S. packers only understand cattle. In most of the plants out of the country, packers slaughter more than one specie."
Generally, most experts agree that the hide removal process will continue to improve, particularly with USDA's increased enforcement of zero tolerance and the added cost of labor and production. A quicker, safer and cleaner hide removal procedure will only hasten production lines.