Monfort's 'Secret' Dehairing Process Could Assist in Pathogen Reduction
by Larry Aylward, managing editor
Monfort Inc. has a secret. But the confidential information is hardly confidential. The Greeley, Colo.-based packer is testing a procedure that could greatly benefit industry in its farm-to-table quest for safe food.
The procedure will aid line personnel involved with hide cleaning and pulling. Monfort's new hide dehairing process could greatly benefit in prevention of the spread of E. coli 0157 and other bacteria. For now, Monfort is saying little about the process.
"We think [the process] will go a long way toward reducing bacteria, and our preliminary results are very promising," Monfort spokeswoman K.T. Miller tells Meat Marketing & Technology.
Although the dehairing process is supposed to be proprietary knowledge, word has leaked out.
Jim Dickson, associate professor of microbiology, immunology and preventive medicine at Iowa State University, has heard well of Monfort's dehairing process.
"It is a liquid system," Dickson notes. "[Monfort] is using a combination of chemicals to remove the hair. It is a spray system that applies the chemicals to the hide."
The theory behind the process is fairly simple: If contamination on the hide is purged before the hide is pulled, the contamination does not have a chance of dispersing to a carcass. The dirt, dust and manure in the hair is a natural source of contamination, Dickson notes.
Cattle would undergo dehairing after they are stunned and suspended, a source notes.
Monfort owns a patent on the process. It joined forces with Lenexa, Kan.-based Chad Co. to develop the process. Chad provides cabinetry and spray equipment for the operation.
Dave Theno, vice president of quality assurance for San Diego-based Jack In the Box fast-food restaurants, says Monfort has thoroughly researched the dehairing process for several years.
A beef carcass would be nearly pasteurized after the treatment, Theno claims. "The theory behind [the process] is certainly valid," he adds.
Gary Acuff, associate professor of food microbiology at Texas A&M University, says the dehairing operation is a good idea.
"I would like to see it progress," Acuff says. "The problem will be what to do with the waste from it. But we will eventually figure that out."
An industry consultant suggests the hair, a source of protein, be rendered. It is another avenue for cost recovery.
A few minor questions surround Monfort's technique. Adding dehairing means including an additional cost to harvesting.
Hypothetically, if the cost of the dehairing process is $2 a head and a packer is processing 4,000 cattle daily, the total cost would be $8,000 a day and about $160,000 a month.
But the cost of the process could be well justified if it leads to less trimming, an industry source points out.
"You have workers doing nothing but trimming," the sources notes. "And it is not cheap. But it's not just the labor. The problem is cutting meat off the carcass. You are paying them to take money away from you.
"But if you are not trimming that meat off, the cost savings will be tremendous," the source adds.
Another concern is the hide itself. Because it is dehaired, a hide's grain is exposed. Purchasers of dehaired hides would be able to spot any damage to them. Obviously, that would not be the case if the hair was left on the hide. Therefore, hide buyers would have the upper hand.
Still, the bottom line is food safety. And the consensus is the dehairing process makes good sense.
"This looks like it could be a real boon for food safety in the future," says Mike Gangel, president of Chad. Co.
Besides Monfort's breakthrough, the hide removal process is basically status quo. However, many agree that companies have instilled an increased awareness among their employees to perform the task with the utmost care and attention to detail.
"There is a lot more awareness by both plant personnel and inspectors of contamination as a result of the hide," Dickson says. "Maybe that is the biggest change going on out there. Everybody is more focused."
Texas A&M's Acuff advocates improved air control in plants. He suggests compartmentalizing areas, especially in the dehiding area, to reduce airborne contamination.
"There is a lot of movement in the plant," Acuff points out. "With all of the cattle moving around it can create a tremendous level of organisms in the air."
Again, though, there is a price to pay. Air control may be a basic procedure, but it can be expensive because of the remapping involved within a plant, Acuff notes.