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New software and innovations provide meat processors unrivalled fat analysis accuracy
Tampa, Florida, October, 2013 – To help global meat processors reach new levels of quality and productivity, Eagle Product Inspection (Eagle) will showcase its advanced fat analysis technology and innovations at PROCESS EXPO 2013, in Chicago, Illinois, (November 3-6, 2013) on Stand 4526. The company will present its industry-leading Eagle™ FA720 Bulk system which offers unrivalled accuracy in fat analysis, ensuring meat processors are supplying meat at customer-specified Chemical Lean (CL) values. The technology also enhances contaminant detection and document management throughout production, avoiding product recalls and improving operational processes and efficiency.
The Eagle™ FA720 Bulk utilizes Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) technology to measure the amount of x-rays that are absorbed by the fat content and lean meat respectively through the use of two specific x-ray energies, accurately calculating the CL value for meat products within +/- 1CL. This level of accuracy is a significant improvement on traditional fat analysis methods and enables meat processors to supply meat at the CL values set by its customers, avoiding costly fat claims and lean meat giveaway. At PROCESS EXPO 2013, Eagle will also present Eagle™ VALIDATE software, an internal calibration function built into the Eagle™ FA720 Bulk to verify its accuracy at specific CL values at the touch of a button. This allows meat processors to avoid the time-consuming, error-prone and costly traditional verification method of regularly passing a reference standard, typically a cumbersome test block, through the system, requiring manual recording of test results. The software automatically records each validation in an electronic file to provide essential data and prove traceability in the event of a product recall or retailer queries about fat content. Automating measurement validation encourages best practice by facilitating straight-forward regular, routine measurement validation with minimum downtime.
To further enhance meat processing fat management, Eagle will also present the Remote Touchscreen Console (RTC) which enables full remote system operability and displays the same data as the system’s human machine interface (HMI). This ensures that the operator has full access to the information collected on the production line. For example, an operator at the rework station, where rejected cartons of meat are sent, can access the x-ray image of the carton and identify exact location of the contaminant, such as a bone fragment, for quick and efficient removal.
In addition, Eagle will also showcase a new light-emitting diode (LED) Marquee Display Unit (MDU) – appropriate for viewing across a boning hall – that can be installed earlier on in the production line, such as at the trimming or packing stations, to transmit real-time CL data to personnel upstream. Operatives can then adjust their trimming and packing procedures to ensure tighter control of CL values before meat is sent for packaging or further processing.
“Quality Assured is our brand promise and commitment to the meat industry to continually design innovative fat analysis and contaminant detection technologies that will provide unrivalled accuracy to the meat processing industry and its customers,” said Kyle Thomas, Strategic Business Unit Manager, Eagle Product Inspection. “The new Eagle™ VALIDATE software, Marquee Display Unit and Remote Touchscreen Console innovations are the first of their kind in the processing industry and are the result of our significant investment into technology. These innovations will help enhance our customers’ fat management procedures and address emerging process control needs.”