LINCOLN, NEB. — The US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Global Processing Workshop was hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) for the third year, bringing together meat processing representatives from across seven countries on July 31 – Aug. 1.

UNL faculty and graduate students along with USMEF representatives led sessions on basic meat science, injection and marinated meat processing, flavor trends, freezing and thawing raw materials, thermal processing, and packaging.

USMEF partners came from meat processing companies in Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras and Japan to attend the workshop.

“This is the third time we’ve hosted this event in Nebraska, and our attendees always have a great experience here,” said Paige Parker, technical programs manager at USMEF. “No matter the level of experience of our attendees, they learn something that can be applied to their company. That is a compliment to the level of expertise here at Nebraska, as the faculty and staff really go above and beyond and help us put on a first-class workshop.”

As part of the workshop, attendees worked with UNL faculty and students to develop a ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook beef or pork product targeted toward their domestic market. Held in the Loeffel Meat Lab, the product development activity generated creations like Colombian-style marinated pork loin, lomo saltado, apple-cinnamon seasoned pork loin and a beef pastor.

“This is one of our favorite workshop events every year because it allows us to interact with processors from different countries,” said Gary Sullivan, associate professor of meat science. “We highlight underutilized US beef and pork cuts and work with our participants to help them identify new opportunities to expand their current product lines.”