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Spray chilling of lamb carcasses
T Brown1, K N Chourouzidis, A J Gigiel
1Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research Centre, University of Bristol, Churchill Building, Langford, Bristol, UK, BS18 7DY.
Meat Science
|November 9, 2011
Summary
Spray chilling significantly reduces lamb carcass weight loss and cooling time without negatively impacting meat quality. These novel methods offer improved lamb chilling efficiency and product yield.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Meat Science
- Post-harvest Technology
Background:
- Lamb carcasses experience significant weight loss during conventional chilling.
- Optimizing chilling processes is crucial for maintaining meat quality and economic yield.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate spray-chilling treatments for lamb carcasses.
- To reduce weight loss and cooling time while assessing meat quality impacts.
Main Methods:
- Two intermittent spray-chilling treatments were compared against a conventional two-stage air chilling process.
- Weight loss, cooling rates, texture, drip loss, and color were measured post-mortem.
Main Results:
- Both spray-chilling treatments significantly reduced 24-hour weight loss compared to conventional chilling (0.86% and 1.20% vs. 2.20%).
- Weight loss savings were maintained during subsequent storage.
- Spray chilling slightly reduced cooling times for loins and legs due to evaporative cooling.
- No significant adverse effects on texture, drip loss, or meat color were observed.
Conclusions:
- Spray chilling is an effective method for reducing weight loss in lamb carcasses.
- This technology offers potential economic benefits through improved yield.
- Meat quality attributes, such as texture and color, are largely unaffected by these spray-chilling methods.
