eat industry is under the microscope following the latest product recall scandals. To help global meat processors pass such scrutiny, Eagle Product Inspection, Tampa, Fla., created advanced fat analysis and contaminant detection technology.For example, the EAGLE FA 720 system offers unrivalled accuracy in fat analysis, ensuring meat processors are supplying meat at customer-specified chemical lean (CL) values. It uses 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 to within +/- 1CL. This accuracy enables meat processors to supply meat at the CL values set by its customers, avoiding costly fat claims and lean meat giveaway.
Eagle also launched the EAGLE Validate software, an internal calibration function built into the EAGLE FA 720 system 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 through the system, requiring manual recording of test results. EAGLE Validate software automatically records each validation in an electronic file to provide essential data to prove traceability in the event of a product recall or retailer queries about fat content.
To further enhance meat processing fat management, Eagle also launched a new remote touch screen console for the EAGLE FA 720, which enables full remote system operability and displays the same information as the system’s human machine interface (HMI) to facilitate operator access to 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.
Additionally, Eagle developed a new light-emitting diode (LED) Marquee display—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. This enables operatives to adjust trimming and packing procedures to maintain tighter control of CL values before meat is sent for packaging or further processing.
