Freshline® meat processing technologiesExpert solutions for freezing, chilling and packaging

Freshline® food processing technologies for meat Whether it is IQF or non-IQF freezing, pelletising, crust freezing prior to slicing, coating of IQF meat pieces, regular chilling or prior to forming temperature control, inerting, Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), or other processes, Air Products supplies a full range of Freshline® systems and gas mixtures that can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

The use of food gases is becoming more and more common in the meat sector. In order to improve production processes and guarantee quality, the industry is looking for methods that allow high quality products to be obtained by using highly technical production processes. The gases supplied by Air Products meet the highest quality standards and are fully compliant with all relevant EU and local food legislation.

Our batch and continuous freezers can process a wide variety of meat products. All of our freezing and chilling systems use high purity liquid nitrogen which is one of the most efficient means of freezing and cooling available.

Cryogenic freezing uses liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide to freeze different types of meat. In industrial meat processes cryogenic freezing has considerable advantages such as:

• Significant reduction in freezing time

• Reduction in weight loss caused by dehydration

• Reduction in enzyme and oxidative deterioration

• Increase in quality and improvement in the texture of the meat

• Reduction in the size of the water crystals

• Microbial stability

• Improvements in the appearance and colour of the meat

The Freshline® QS tunnel freezer

Chilled or frozen meat products

Cryogenic freezing• High freezing speed

• Flexibility in production

• Low financial investment

• Reduction in space taken up by the equipment

Air Products’ team of experts has considerable knowledge of gas-based technology in the meat sector. By performing audits of your process they will work with you to develop the best solution for each production requirement.

Air Products and its subsidiaries have been providing gas-based equipment, services and products to the food and beverage industry across the world for more than 50 years. Our portfolio is comprehensive and offers flexible solutions for freez-ing and chilling food, modified atmo-sphere packaging, beverage applica-tions and wastewater treatment.

Through a strict regime of internally and externally audited management systems, our gases meet and often exceed the Government and EU requirements for food quality and traceability. All of our gas cylinders are supplied to the highest specifica-tion and include tamper-proof shrink wrap systems to prevent contamina-tion, complete with a batch num-bered certificate of conformity for traceability.

Also, for added security, our unique Freshline® Plus cylinders, specially developed to offer new standards of hygiene and safety in the food pack-aging environment, are equipped with a bacterial filter and an anti-microbial coating that provide you the extra peace of mind that you have the highest purity of food grade gases.

Choosing Air Products will ensure you meet the highest hygiene and safety standards.

Food quality and traceability pledge

The two principal spoilage mecha-nisms affecting the shelf-life of raw red meats are microbial growth and oxidation of the red oxymyoglobin pigment. When red meat is kept under proper chilled conditions, the controlling influence on the shelflife of the product is the rate of oxidation of the red oxymyoglobin pigment to its brown oxidised form, metmyoglo-bin. For this reason, high concentra-tions of O2 are necessary for the MAP of red meats in order to maintain the desirable bright red colour for a longer period. Highly pigmented red meats, such as venison and wild boar, require higher concentrations of O2.

Aerobic spoilage bacteria, such as the Pseudomonas species, which are normally predominant on red meats are inhibited by CO2. Consequently, to create the dual effect of red colour stability and microbial inhibition, gas mixtures containing 20-30% CO2 and 70-80% O2 are recommended for extending the chilled shelf-life of red meats from 2-4 days to 5-8 days and even longer. A gas/product ratio of 2:1 is often recommended. The main-tenance of recommended chilled temperatures and good hygiene and handling throughout the butchery, distribution and retailing chain are also of vital importance in ensuring the safety and extended shelflife of red meat products.

Red meats provide an ideal medium for the growth of a wide range of spoilage and food poisoning micro-organisms. It should be noted that raw red meats are subsequently cooked before consumption and thorough heating is sufficient to kill the vegetative cells of food poisoning bacteria. Consequently, the risk of food poisoning is greatly minimised by proper cooking.

Air Products offers a range of pure and premixed food grade gases for the food industry. These gases can be supplied in a range of forms including cylinders, cylinder packs, small bulk tanks, large bulk tanks, generators and onsite supply systems. In addition, our team of experts, equipped with analysis equipment, are available to undertake process trials to ensure you find the perfect gas mixture for your product.

Extending shelf-life using Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Consumers are increasingly looking for convenience and this has resulted in the growth of the sliced meat market. Meat processors need to ensure an efficient process with minimal waste and the production of attractive meat slices that can be displayed to the consumer in trays.

Air Products’ Freshline® TRS tunnel freezer has been specially designed to be used for continuous crust freez-ing of cooked and fresh products, prior to slicing.

Sliced meat products

Formed minced meat productsHigh capacity meat mincing ma-chines are often used in the meat in-dustry to produce burgers and other formed products. However the heat generated by these machines during the mincing process often means that subsequent product formation can be a difficult process.

This problem can be addressed by mixing frozen meat product with the fresh but the results are not always reliable. In addition, the qual-ity of the minced product is consid-erably reduced because the frozen meat does not provide enough cold to even out the temperature.

The Freshline® LIN-IS can be used to modulate the temperature of the meat itself through controlled injec-tion of liquid nitrogen (LIN) into the product during mincing. The nitro-gen injection is regulated, providing the cold that is required at all times and adjusting the gas consumption to the requirements of the process. This results in improvements in the quality of the minced meat as the

This technique results in the following benefits to the meat processor:

• Wastage through dehydration is reduced • Slices or fillets are visually more attractive • All cuts are homogenised • Time to refrigerate is significantly reduced • The number of damaged slices is reduced • Slices/fillets are produced continuously • Costs are competitive

fat is not broken up and the cuts are regular and even. In addition, the fol-lowing quality benefits are realised:

• Bacteria are inhibited by changing the contact atmosphere of the meat (no oxygen)

• The appearance of the meat is improved by avoiding the formation of metamyoglobin, resulting from excessive exposure to oxygen in the air

• The system ensures repeatable and consistent product for forming

The Freshline® LIN-IS system

Applications and equipment

Freshline® batch freezer

A freezer or chilling unit for pieces of meat and pre-cooked dishes specifically designed for freezing and/or ultra-fast refrigeration. On average it can freeze 100 to 200kg/h.

Freshline® QS tunnel freezer

Our Quick Start (QS) cryogenic freezing and chilling system requires minimal upfront capital investment and is quickly and easily integrated into your existing or new production line, providing you with an easy, low risk solution. It is simple to operate and rapid to install while offering greater flexibility for fast switchovers of products. This technology can freeze on average 300 to 400kg/h.

Freshline® MP tunnel freezer

Our state-of-the-art, Multi-Purpose (MP) tunnel freezer is designed to provide exceptional performance while incorporating the latest international hygiene features. This tunnel can freeze up to 3000kg/h.

Freshline® DM tunnel freezer

Our flexible Dual-Mode (DM) freezer allows you to quickly change from processing IQF to non-IQF products using the same freezer. IQF production levels can reach up to 1000kg/h.

Freshline® TRS freezer

To meet the growing use of high speed cutters, our TRS tunnel freezer was specially designed for continuous crust chilling, both of cooked and fresh products prior to slicing or filleting. The tunnel takes up a small amount of space and reaches production capacities of up to 1200kg/h.

Freshline® tumbler

Our Freshline® Tumbler is a coating technology ideally suited for high- value food preparation. Our tumbler combines two processes in one system – enrobing with sauce and IQF freezing. It can deliver an ideal balance of hard products (such as meat balls) and liquids, producing original coated delicacies. This system is suitable for production rates of up to 1200kg/h.

Freshline® mixer By injecting nitrogen into a specially designed mixer, meat products can be mixed and chilled evenly without the risk of clumping.

Freshline® LIN-IS system

Our controlled temperature system which enables the even cooling of meat products in preparation for the ideal texture to be formed and further processed. The Freshline® LIN-IS is often used to speed up the process prior to forming burger patties for example.

Freshline® IQF+ tunnel freezer

Our Freshline® IQF+ freezer has been created to offer consistent high quality IQF products to processors with high throughput needs and/or difficult or sticky products.

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© Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., 2015 (37471) 332-14-033-GB

The information contained herein is offered without charge for use by technically qualified personnel at their discretion and risk. All statements, technical information and recommendations contained herein are based on tests and data which we believe to be reliable, but the accuracy or completeness thereof is not guaranteed and no warranty of any kind is made with respect thereto.

Halia® wastewater solutions

As well as our Freshline® solutions, Air Products also offers water treatment solutions, including:

• Improvement of existing wastewater treatment systems and increase in treatment capacity with oxygen injection

• Temporary aeration requirements

• Wastewater disinfection for reuse applications

• New system design

Welding and analytical gases

Air Products also offers a wide range of gases including welding and analytical gases.

United Kingdom Air Products PLC 2 Millennium Gate Westmere Drive Crewe CW1 6AP T 0800 389 0202 apukinfo@airproducts.com

Ireland Air Products Ireland Ltd. Unit 950 Western Industrial Estate Killeen Road Dublin 12 T 1800 99 50 29 ieinfo@airproducts.com

Ask Air Products and expect more

Air Products’ Freshline® solutions offer you the high-purity gases and equipment, the international supply capability, and – most importantly – the unmatched industry experience and technical support to help you succeed just about anywhere in the world. We can help you improve your productivity, lower your costs, maximize your returns, and, as a result, allow you to continuously grow in a very competitive market.

Next to our standard applications, we also offer custom made solutions to ensure your needs are met and your expectations reached, always.

What you are looking for doesn’t exist yet? Air Products can help you! Our experts are always happy to invest their food know-how in joint R&D projects. Together we can develop new concepts and processes that will allow you to meet the future with a head-start on your competition.