Meat processing

Product quality starts with the preparation of the product. The extremely gentle mixing technology of the Handtmann Inotec VarioMix is ideal for numerous fields of application in meat processing. The VarioMix allows for both aggressive and gentle mixing. The mixing spirals operate in individually adapted wave patterns and they are independently adjustable in speed and direction of rotation. The usable volume ranges from 350 to 4,000 litres. The preparation of a large variety of different products can thus be covered with a single machine. During processing, the particularly gentle feed principle of the vane cell feed system in Handtmann vacuum filling machines also ensures first-class and continuously reproducible product quality as well as long-term stable portioning accuracy. The integration of inline grinding technology provides additional scope for the optimisation of product and cost at the same time, because it is the grinding method, among others, that is decisive for the quality of the products. Grinding the product to its final size during the filling process primarily entails a reduction in the number of process steps. The product is ground to its final grain size and at the same time portioned in a single process step. Handtmann works with the standard feed system for all products, irrespective of the cut size of the final hole plate in the inline grinding system. It is therefore not necessary to switch feed system parts when the product is changed. The versatile equipment options for cutting set parts guarantee optimum adaptation to the individual product. Digital solutions in the VF 800 vacuum filler additionally ensure quality standards in processing. This includes the continuous, automatic monitoring of crucial process parameters such as filling pressure, temperature and vacuum level. The basic function of this practical solution is to automatically assure quality standards in the production process, thus avoiding rejects.

Meat processing offers enormous potential for high-turnover products, because in addition to the traditional product range, selected classics can be relaunched, new snacks can be created or popular bestsellers varied. Here, Handtmann is not only a supplier of the appropriate production technology, but also a source of inspiration for trend products. Some typical Handtmann concept products are the fried meat and vegetable sausage, salami snacks with spice coating or filled sticks. These production processes use Handtmann system modules from product preparation and processing technology to downstream product handling. The fried meat and vegetable sausage caters to the health trend with its rich vegetable content, to the sustainability trend by reducing the carbon footprint through reduced meat consumption, and to the culinary trend through unchanging taste and bite despite the high degree of substitution. Originally a classic meat product, but now with a high vegetable content of 40 %, what is decisive here is the substitution of meat with plant components without a noticeable change in the taste of the meat product or with a desired change in taste through the use of other vegetable pastes. The fine fried sausage from pork, vegetable oil and cauliflower paste is filled into natural casing, blanched and can then be grilled. Filled salami sticks belong to the trend category of premium snacking and can be produced in great variety with fillings of the most diverse flavours. The innovation of the product is the appealing interplay of raw sausage and filling, both in terms of appearance and taste. The dry sausage product is co-extruded in alginate casing with different fillings, linked, cured, matured, smoked and dried. The spicy salami snacks with a variety of spice coatings also fall into the premium snacking category. The continuous production of bar-shaped salamis with co-extruded spiced alginate paste as a coating is entirely new here. Different spice coatings (e.g. pepper coating, bell pepper coating, etc.) allow for variable flavours. At the same time, the production process offers a high degree of automation, as the dry sausage product with alginate-based spice coating is continuously co-extruded, cured, matured, smoked, dried and sliced.

Handtmann sausage filling and linking lines are suitable for the production of dry, fresh and boiled sausages in natural, collagen or peel-off casing. The variants of the linking and hanging lines range from systems with manual or semi-automatic casing spooling to a fully-automatic solution. The modular concept alternatively includes the option of hanging the sausages directly on a hanging unit or of cutting the sausages in the number of pieces required. An example is the classic sausage production with the PVLH 228 plus linking and hanging line as part of the semi-automatic Handtmann AL systems, i.e. the casing is fed manually, the filling, portioning and linking process is automatic, as is the subsequent hanging of the sausages on the hanging unit. This process allows the production of up to 2,000 portions or sausages per minute. The special feature of the PVLH 228 plus linking and hanging line is a linking unit with revolving head and two nozzles. This enables casing change times of less than two seconds. Parallel voiders ensure extremely gentle linking, which also guarantees a high effective production output, especially when producing sausages in natural casing. Excellent weight accuracy and precise sausage lengths are also guaranteed, even with natural casing products. Another added-value option in modern sausage production are the integrable, digital Handtmann AHE scales. They can be attached directly to the hanging unit. Give-away is reduced to a minimum thanks to their optimal weight accuracy. Overfilling can thus be reduced by up to 60 %. The scales can function both as portion and smoke stick scales.

Handtmann co-extrusion technology (ConPro = continuous process) opens up completely new application options in sausage production. It combines the advantages of an edible alginate casing with the flexible Handtmann vacuum filling and linking technology. The most outstanding feature of the ConPro systems is that sausage skins or casings are no longer used. Alginate is a long-chain carbohydrate, which is extracted from brown algae. Alginate gels can be produced across a wide range of temperatures and pH levels; they are insoluble in water, heat-stable and can therefore be blanched, smoked and dried. They are thus ideal for producing edible casing. With the ConPro system, Handtmann has developed the technical basis needed for this. It facilitates the continuous production of a sausage strand encased in alginate gel. It essentially comprises two vacuum filling machines which are connected with each other via a co-extrusion head. One of the two vacuum fillers, the master machine, pumps the filling product that the sausage strand is produced from. The slave machine transports the alginate paste which subsequently forms the sausage casing. The sausage strand can then either be cut or linked into individual sausages. The sausages produced can be packed as fresh products or transported to downstream process steps, such as maturing and drying or blanching and smoking.

The portfolio of state-of-the-art meat processing companies today includes the production of a wide variety of products from the most diverse raw materials and with different geometries. The single-lane Handtmann FS 525 all-in-one system combines two different forming principles and thus provides unprecedented flexibility for the industrial production of formed products: The hole plate forming technology allows the production of free-formed 3D products with a diameter of 18 to 100 mm. The rotary cutting principle can be used to produce different cross-sections from 15 to 130 mm with a straight cut. The optional use of a flattening belt with flattening heights of 10 to 50 mm as well as different structuring rollers such as pyramid-, groove-, square-shaped, steak roller or customer-specific, further enhance product design options and the wealth of variants can thus be additionally extended. Different product structures are individually available on request. The forming technology can be quickly changed in under 3 minutes. The FS 525 forming and cutting system can be easily incorporated into integrated processes or be synchronised with automation options. Both individual automated process steps and fully automated solutions all the way down to the packaging unit are possible. An example is the feeding and inserting of the formed products into different tray formats with the new Handtmann transfer system comprising a feeding conveyor, a retracting conveyor and a tray denester. Another option is the integration and synchronisation of the Handtmann WS 910 weighing system in the new advanced version into the filling and forming process. Reducing give-away to a minimum by providing 100 % control through reference weighing of each portion also helps achieve significant cost savings. The use of the Handtmann weighing system further reduces re-work considerably, resulting in savings in packaging, resources and handling. Transparent, sustainable and hence future-proof production is thus ensured.