116

MECXANICALLY DEBOI’IED NZATS YIELDS AND PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS*

RICHARD E . GOLDSTRAND Geo. A . Hormel & Co.

Since t h e development of machines capable of deboning f i s h and poul t ry i n t h e pas t decade and the subsequent approval of mechanically deboried chicken a s a meat component i n processed meat products, mechanical deboning of red meats has been in tens ive ly investigated by many groups within t h e meat industry.

The development of devices capable of deboning red meats has been a formidable task. Deboned meats as discussed i n this paper a r e the r e su l t i ng products frm deboning machines which a r e commercially ava i lab le a t t h i s t ime. provide some information from’our experience and from published industry data on y ie lds and product cha rac t e r i s t i c s of deboned red meats.

The object ive of t h i s presentat ion w i l l be t o

Yields

Yields a r e influenced by many fac tors but a r e determined primarily by:

(1) The amount of lean and connective t i s s u e removed from t h e bones p r i o r t o mechanical deboning.

( 2 ) The or ig in and type of bones processed.

( 3 ) The type of machine.

(4) The operating charactr o r i s t i c s of t he machine.

( 5 ) The pre-treatment of bones p r b r t o processing through a deboning machine.

Yields from beef banes. Table 1 presents data on y ie lds from beef Deboning machines t h a t a r e present ly ava i lab le a r e r e s t r i c t e d bones.

t o processing f l a t , r e h t i v e l y s o f t beef bones. Standard industry methods f o r hand-boning beef carcasses produce 50-60 pmnds of bones t h a t can be mechanically deboned. deboned meat per carcass. Neck bones p rduce the highest y ie lds and account f o r 2O-259’p of the deboned meat recovered.

Deboning y i e lds 12.8-16.5 pmnds of

* Presented a t t h e 28th Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference of t h e American Meat Science Associat im, 1975.

Table 1. Yields mechanicelly debmed beef bones

Type of

bones

Approximate l b s . per carcass

Deb oning y i e ld

percerit

Lbs . Per

carcass

Neck Chine Loin rack Chuck r i b R i b rack P la t e rack

10 .o 2 *5

11 .o 9 *o

12 .o 14 .O -

30-40 3.0- 4.0 30-40 0.8- 1.0 20-30 2.2- 3.3 20-25 1.8- 2.2 18 -22 2.2- 2.6 20-24 2.8- 3.4

58 -5 22-28 E .8-16.5

Two t o two-and-one-half pounds of protein a re recovered per carcass which, when priced a t current market pr ices f o r beef trimmings a t $4.50 per pound of protein, have a value of $9.00-11.25 per carcass excluding processing cos t s .

Yields from Pork Bones. The y ie ld ds ta t h a t is presented i n t ab l e 2 i s obtained from r a w bones r e su l t i ng from commercial pork boning operations. All types of pork bones can be processed by mechanical deboning machines. i f a l l bones a r e processed. Under present industry pract ices , picnic , ham and blade bones a r e the bones ava i lab le i n la rge volumes f o r deboning. These bones represent 60-65$ of the bones from a carcass and w i l l produce 2.0-2.8 pounds of deboned meat. The weight of p ro te in recovered is 0.2-0.3 pounds per carcass, which a t a present p r i ce of $4.50 per pound of protein i n pork trimmings, has a value of $.90-1.20 exclusive of production cos ts .

A hog carcass w i l l y ie ld 3-4 pounds of deboned meat,

Tsble 2. Yields deboned pork

T n e of

bones

Approximate l b s . per carcass

Deboning y i e Id

percent

Lbs . per

carcass

Neck Back Blade Ham Picnic

1 .o 1.6 1 .o 5 *2 3.2 12 .o

30-50 45-50 20-30 22 -30 22 -30

25-34.2

0 -3-0.5 0.7-0.8 0.2-0.3 1.1-1.6 0.7-0.9

3 .Q-4.1

118

The data presented i n t a b l e s 1 2nd 2 ind ica te t h e p g t e n t i a l y i e lds of deboned meats on a per carczss basis.

Dr. Ray Fie ld has expanded t h i s data t o 1973 animal production and has estimated, i f a l l animals were hand deboned and t h e bones su i t ab le f o r mechanical deboning were deboned, 737 mill ion pounds of beef, 374 mill ion pounds of pork, and 19 million pounds of lanib and mutton could have been produced. More t h a n a b i l l i o n pounds of high protein product could have been added t o t h e hurnan food supply s ince only very small quan t i t i e s o f bones a r e now processed i n t o edible human food. (1)

Product Charac te r i s t ics

The product cha rac t e r i s t i c s of mechanically deboned meats a r e determined by chemical and physical composition, t h e type of ma.chine u t i l i z e d , t he h i s to ry and organoleptic condition of t h e bones t o be processed, and t h e preparation procedures used. Mechanically deboned meats a r e exclusively used as meat ingredients ir! processed mea,ts and t h e i r use i s primarily dependent on t h e i r chemical composition. s i t i o n a l requirements a re out l ined i n t a b l e 3, U .S .D .A. Requirements f o r Mechanically Dcboned Meats. ( 2 )

Compo-

Table 3 . U .S .D .A. Requirements for Mechanically Deboned Meat

K i n d of me chani ca l l y

deboned meat

Beef, lamb veal , mutton,

and goat Pork Raw Cooked Haw Cooked

Minimum pro te in $ 1 5 .o 21.4 14 .O 20 .o

Minimum pro te in qua l i t y Per 2.5 o r

(percent of t o t a l ) M i n i m amino ac ids

8 amino acids 33

2 *5

33

M a x i m u m f a t 4’0 30 30

Maximum calcium $J 0.50 0.50

119 These requirements e s t ab l i sh a minimum p m t e i n content of 15$ f o r

raw beef and 14% f o r r 8 w pork. 33$ of the proteins must be represented by the eight amino acids: Phenylalanine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Tryptophan, Valine and Threonine, o r the protein has a per of 2.5. The maximum f a t content must be under 30%. The maximum calcium content acceptable i s 0.5@ a f t e r subtract ing 0.015% f o r t h e calcium content of lean meat t i s sue .

Protein qua l i ty requirements a re t h a t

Calcium content. Control of t he calcium l e v e l i n deboned red meats has been t h e performance c r i t e r i a by which mechanical deboning devices have been judged. requirement t h a t was established fo r mechanically deboned poul t ry meat when MPI h l l e t i n 865 w a s issued, the 0.25% l e v e l was established f o r mechanically deboned meat. Recently, MPI Bul le t in 75-19 has increased t h e calcium requirement t o 0.50$. The following fac tors have an influence on the celcium content of deboned meat prsduct.

The o r i g i n a l maximum requirement was 0.25$, t he same

(1) Preparation p r i o r t o deboning: A t t h e present time, deboning equipment requires t h a t bones be reduced i n s i ze by grinding o r prebreaking . The coarseness of grind has a d i r e c t r e l a - t ionship t o the calcium content of t he deboned meat product as shown in t a b l e 4 .

A 40-50$ reduction i n the calcium content of deboned meat r e s u l t s from increasicg the grind f m m 3/8 t o 314 inches. Bones reduced i n s i z e through a prebrezker r e s u l t s i n a grea te r reduction i n calcium content, but a l l types of machines cannot process bmes of t h i s s i z e .

T a b l e 4 . Influence of grinding p r i o r t o deboning on calcium content of deboned meat

Size of

Percent Calcium Pork Pork Pork Pork

grind neck back ham picnic (inches ) bones bones bones bones

0 97 0.6 1.5 1.8 0 *7 0.4 1.4 1.7 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.7

318 518 314

0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 Prebre ek

I20

Raw bones: of adhering lean and connective t i s s u e on the calcium leve ls i n deboned meat product. 75-10@ higher y ie lds of deboned meat and approximately the same reduction i n czlcium l eve l s .

Table 4 a l s o i l l u s t r a t e s t he e f f e c t of the amount

Pork neck and back bones have

Size of s t r a in ing device: pr inc ip le of s t r a in ing bone p a r t i c l e s from lean, fa t , and connective t i s s u e by a s t r a in ing device. t h e influence of s t r a i n e r s i z e O n the calcium content of ham and picnic bones. A 4 6 reduction r e s u l t s f rom reducing t h e s t r a i n e r s i z e from 0.031 inch t o 0.018 inches. devices a r e now being developed a t s izes as small as 0.010 inches t o fu r the r reduce calcium leve ls i n deboned product.

Deboning machines operate on the

Table 5 i l l u s t r a t e s

Straining

Table 5 . Influence of head s i z e ( s t r a i n e r ) on calcium content of deboned meat

Head s i z e holes

(inches )

Pork ham

bones

Pork picnic bones

o .031 2.1 2 -3

o.ol8 1.7 1.8

( 4 ) Type of machine: The type of machine u t i l i z e d for the production of deboned meats i s a major f ac to r i n t he control of calcium levels,. Machines developed for t h e production of deboned poul t ry and f i s h have been modified t o coritrol calcium leve ls , but newer machines designed t o process red meat bones have b e t t e r capab i l i t i e s t o produce deboned meats within U .S .D .A. calcium requirements .

Table 6 is a compilation of ana ly t i ca l r e s u l t s on deboned meats produced by three types of deboning devices. A and C a r e continuous machines i n which ground bones a r e conveyed through a s t r a in ing device under pressure o r against a s t r a in ing device. a r e forced against a s t a t iona ry s t r a in ing device.

B i s a machine i n which crushed bones

From these r e su l t s , it i s evident that one of the continuxls machines can meet U .S .D . A . calcium requirements on pork neck and back bones while the other continucrus machine did not. on a l l products.

The s ta t ionary device meets calcium requirements

Table 6 . Comparison of machine performance of celcium content of deboned meats

Machine Type of bones Calcium %

A B C

A B C

A B C

A B C

P, B

Pork back Pork back Pork be! ck

Pork neck Pork neck Pork neck

Pork ham Pork ham Pork ham

Pork p icn ic Pork picnic Pork p icn ic

Beef chine Beef chirie

0.45 o .15 0.73

0.40 0.15 0.55

1.65 0.16 1.52

1.81 0.17 1.44

0.40 0.24

( 5 ) Operational f ac to r s : Pressure, convepr speed, temperature, and sharpness of t he grinding device a r e a l l cont ro l lab le f ac to r s which have an influence on calcium l eve l s of deboned meats.

Protein, Fat and Moisture Content. The protein, f a t and moisture content of mechanically deboned meats i s dependent 3n t h e 1ea.n t i s s u e , connective t i s s u e , bone and bone marrow content of t h e bones processed.

Table 7 i s a compilation of t h e average of t h e r e s u l t s of t e s t s performed on three types of deboning machines with four var iab les of pre-treatment on pork bones which produce debmed meats within t h e pro te in and f a t cons t ra in ts out l ined i n MPI Bul le t in 865.

These r e s u l t s ind ica te :

(1) Protein, f a t and moisture contents of deboned meat product i s not s i g n i f i c a n t l y influenced by t h e type of machine o r the type of pre-treatment . These r e s u l t s demonstrate t h a t t h e composition of t h e bones processed has the most influence on the composition of r e s u l t i n g deboned meat.

I22

Table 7. CDmposition mechanically deboned pork neck bmes and pork back bones

Type of No. of Grind Pro te in Fat M3isture o! bones samples Machine (Inches ) k k /o

Pork neck 34 Pork neck 11 Pork neck 33 Pork neck 4 Pork neck 1

Pork back 35 Pork back 11 Pork back 7 Pork back 6 Pork back 1

3/8 5/8 3/4

3/8 Prebreak

3/8 5/8 3/4

3/8 Pr ebroken

15.1 15.6 14.2 14.3 14.4

14.4 14.8 14.6 13 *3 14.9

26.7 57.2 24.7 58.6 29 09 54.9 25.4 60.3 29 -9 53 07

32.4 51 .o 30.6 52.4

35 07 50 .a 30.1 52.2

30 -3 52 -3

(2) The bones t h a t can be processed t o comply w i t h U.S.D.A. requirements f o r pro te in and f a t a r e l imited t o b m e s which comprise a minor por t ion of t h e pork bones ava i lab le for processing. The market value of pork neck bones, i n most instances, i s too high t o make deboning p ro f i t ab le .

Table 8 i s a summary of the data on protein, moisture and f a t fran beef bones which meet MPI Bul l e t in 865 requi re - ments. This table demmstrates the l imited supply of beef bones ava i lab le f o r processing. The economics of deboning beef necks i s very favorable when compared t o hand deboning.

Table 8. Composition of mechanical deboned beef bones

Ty-pe of Grind Pro te in Fat Moisture bones Machine ( inches ) k 46 k

16 .o 24.4 55 -7 17.4 9 -9

Neck A 3/4 Chine C Prebroken 15 *9 28.3 -- Loin rack C Prebroken 15 .o 22.0 Chuck r i b C Prebroken 15 .o 22.2 --

-- Neck C Prebroken

--

3-23

Table 9 displays data on pork bones which w i l l not meet U .S .D .A. p ro te in and f a t l e v e l s . These bones represent t'ne l a rges t volume ava i lab le f o r deboning from commercial pork boning operat ions. I f mechanically deboned pork is t o have a major impact on t h e pork industry, these bones must be processed. This t a b l e also ind ica tes t h e r e l a t i v e l y small var i a t ion i n t h e composition of deboned pork from bones Df a uniform lean and bone content, i r r e spec t ive of t h e type Df machine o r pre-treatment employed.

Table 9 . Chemical composition deboned p w k which do not meet MPI Bul l e t in 865 requirements

Type of No. of Grind Protein Fat Moisture bone samples Machine (Inches ) % k %

Ham Ham H a m H a m Ham

Picnic Picnic P icn ic Picnic

26 15 2 7 1

26 10 7 1

A A B C

3/8 5/8 3/4

3/8 Prebrokeri

3/8 5/8

3/8 Pr ebro ken

10.1 11.3 9 07

10.5 12.5

i o .8 1 1 . 5 9.4

10 .g

41 .O 44.1 38.6 45 -3 41.1 46.7 37 -9 50.8 35 -8 -- 39 -4 45 .o 37 -6 46 .a

51.5 38 97 -- 40.0

With the r e s t r i c t i v e compositional requirements imposed by t h e U.S.D.A. on mechanically deboned meats, t h e so l e a l t e r - nat ive o p t i m t o br ing pro te in and f a t l e v e l s i n t o compliance is t o increase the l ean content of t h e bones t o be deboned. This technique can be accomplished by adding meat i n t h e farm of primal cu ts o r l imi t ing the amount of l ean removed during hand-boning operat ions.

Table 10 i l lustrates the e f f e c t of zdding whole skinned p icn ics t o ham bones. This t a b l e ind ica tes t h a t a g rea t e r than 8@ addi t ion of whole skinned p icn ics would be required t o raise t h e pro te in l e v e l and lower the fa t l e v e l i n t o compliance. p icn ics i s required t o bring calcium l eve l s i n t o compliance. This t e s t ind ica tes t h e imprac t ica l i ty of d i l u t i o n procedures. Increasing pro te in and lowering f a t l eve l s by not removing a l l t h e lean on ham bones during hand deboning i s not economically f e a s i b l e under most market conditions.

It a l s o ind ica tes t h a t a 3 6 addition of whole

Table 10. Chemical composition ham bones and whole Ficnics

Protein Fat Moisture Calcium Type of bones $ k $ k

Ham bones 0.88 10 .o 42.3 44.6

Ham bones + lo$* whole skd pix 0 *73 11.1 39 * 5 47.1

Ham bones + 2 6 whole skd pix 0.59 11.7 38.8 47.8

Ham bones + 3@ whole skd pix 0.48 12.3 35 06 50.9

Whole sM pix 0.14 14.6 26.6 56.6

Protein qua l i ty . Our da ta on protein qua l i ty on 8 l imited number of samples ind ica te t h a t 34-42$ of the t o t a l protein i s comprised of t he eight specif ied amino ac ids . not present a problem.

Compliance w i t h t h i s requirement does

Microbiological qua l i t y . Data compiled on the microbiological qua l i t y of deboned meat i s presented i n t a b l e 11. indicate t h a t 8 f i of the deboned pork samples a r e lower than 100,000 per gram; 45$ of the deboned beef samples analyzed a re l e s s than 100,000 per g r a m , and a l l t h e samples t e s t e d were l e s s than 1,000,000 per gram. The microbiological qua l i t y of deboned meats compares very favorably with the aerobic p l a t e counts found on beef and pork trinmings used f o r processing. temperature, and s torage conditions which appear t o control the micro- b io logica l qua l i t y of deboned meat product.

Aerobic p l a t e counts

MpI B u l l e t h 865 requires s t r i c t l imi ta t ions on time,

Teble 11. Microbiological qua l i ty mechanically deboned meats

Deboned No. of Less than 10,000 t o 100,000 t o Greater than meat samples lO.OOO/g

~:,,ooo~ ~LOOO,OO~/~ ~ ~ O O O , O O ~ / S No.

Pork 39 6 15.4 28 71.8 4 10.0 1 2.8

Beef 13 1 7.7 5 38*5 7 53.8 0 0

TBA Numbers. D t a on TEA numbers on a number of samples of deboned pork and beef a r e presented ir! t a b l e 12. deboned pork samples were under 2.0 and 75% of the beef samples a re under 2.0. iL pork and beef trinrmings. l i p i d s i n TBA numbers of deboned meats i s indicated.

Fifty-seven percent of t h e

The TBA numbers a r e somewhat higher than usua l ly experienced Further study of t he r o l e of bone marrow

Bind value. Our l imited experience indieates t h a t t h e bind value

No compensation f o r reduced bind has been necessary i n formu- compares favorably with beef and pork trimmings of similar pro te in l e v e l s . l a t i o n s of processed meat products a t 10, 20 and 3@ leve ls of addi t ion.

Color value. The color l e v e l 3f deboned pork and beef i s 25-30$ higher than pork a.nd beef trimmings of s imilar protein and fa t leve ls .

Table 12. TBA numbers mechanically deboned meats

Total Greater Deboned no. of Less t han 1.1-2.0 2.1-5.0 5.1-10 than meat samples 1 .0 10.1

N O . 5 NO. $ No. $ NO. $ NO. 5

Pork 54 10 18.5 21 38.9 10 18 .5 5 9.3 8 14.8

Beef 7 2 28.6 4 57.1 1 14.3 0 0 0 0

I n conclusion, it i s obvious t h a t mechanical deboning of pork and beef can have a major impact on the e f f ic iency of animal product im, i f f u l l y exploited, i n addition t o making avai lable f o r h m n food a major source of high qua l i ty protein product.

The extent of t he impact of mechanically deboned meats w i l l be determined t o a grea t extent on the f inal rule making by U.S.D.A., and t h e requirements placed on the compsi t ion o f debmed meats, label ing and use l eve l s .

We are aware t h a t U.S.D.A. i s nov intensively reviewing the subject of mechanically deboned meats, and w e a r e confident t h a t some of t h e problems w e have discussed today w i l l be resolved.

We appreciate the opportunity t o discuss w i t h you our experience with mechanical deboning 3f red meats and we bel ieve mechanical deboning of red meats deserves t h e support of a l l animal s c i e n t i s t s concerned with the fu ture of animal production.

126

REFERXIICES

(1) Chicago Tribune. January 9, 1975. "Good New's ! There's Meat on Them Bones," by Jack Mabley,

( 2 ) Preparation Df Mechanically Deboned Meat and Mechanically Deboiled Meat Fa t ty Tissue, MPI Bulletin 865, November 6, 1974, and MPI Bul le t in 75-19, Jznuary 29, 1975.