Processors aim to add value to the products they produce in a variety of ways. Injection delivers certain attributes that other methods don’t, while increasing value in more ways than one. As a value add, injection operates as an inline process rather than a batch process and represents the most modern and efficient way of adding value, and it distributes brine and cure into a whole muscle substrate the most evenly.

“Typically, injection is a faster process versus a batch process” said Scott Steinman, application specialist with Reiser, Canton, Mass. “Injection provides a higher and wider range of injection levels, produces a more consistent product for yields and even distribution of brines and cures.”

For a processor’s bottom line, injection offers a way to add value to lesser cuts of meat and poultry that might not offer ideal margins to food companies while at the same time providing consumers attractive flavors and textures.

“In fresh meats injection can improve tenderness, juiciness and lessen the effect of thermal abuse of meats served in QSRs [quick-service restaurants] or the home,” said David Hayden, product manager for marination and cured meats at JBT Corp., Chicago. “For cured meats like bacon or deli meats, injection is needed to deliver curing solutions evenly into the muscle.”

Tony Sbraga, partner at East Brunswick, NJ-based Nu-Meat Technology/Friedrich Metal Products added, “Injection is the fastest way to guarantee that you get even penetration of your brine throughout the entire muscle.”

In addition to putting consistent products into the pipeline, to the benefit of all parties involved, Jacob Yates, product line manager with Precipak USA, Mundelein, Ill., added another aspect of getting the most return on investment (ROI) out of injection, more specific to the processor.

“Injection allows for a quality value add to both bone-in and boneless production on the same machine, providing versatility and saving time and money,” he said.

The ability of injection to retain liquid distribution at a high level through improved distribution over the entire field of muscle fibers results in a juicier and more succulent product. This adds value for the consumer and the processor. Adding efficiency and ease of use strengthens the choice for injection over other value add methods.

“Injection provides versatility to quickly change over brine mixtures and allows for processing of different types of meat, poultry or seafood, with or without bones,” said Tom Bako, director of business development at Burr Ridge, Ill.-based BAK Food Equipment.

Processor concerns

Suppliers of injection equipment found processors’ concerns include consistency and ROI. Consistency comes by correct preparation of brine to maximize functional ingredients, use temperature control and good filtration to prevent needles and pipes within the system from getting clogged and offsetting pump pressure during production. Suppliers need to provide the means to help processors in making sure the injection equipment in use functions optimally.

“We go in and do an audit of their processes, then evaluate and offer improved solutions to address the challenges,” Steinman said.

Sbraga added, “We train our customers to clean the filter screens often in order to maximize brine yields. Clean filters keep needles from clogging.”

In addition to profits and all the variables that enhance and secure them, processors make sanitation and safety a top priority. Processors want assurance that their people and products will be safe and the products they produce are safe for consumption. Manufacturers that provide these things to customers gain valuable trust in return.

“Food safety and healthy products remain the top concern in all aspects of adding value to meat and poultry products,” Yates said. “When learning about what injection is and how it works, processors need to work with trusted suppliers and manufacturers throughout the process.”

Dale Hunt, technical processing group manager for marination and cured meats at JBT added that sanitary and safe design are of paramount importance. They lead to reliability and the ability for breakdown to clean and inspect, assuring both the safety of employees and of products.

The value-added meat market consists of processors at many different levels of capacity and size. Larger and smaller operations require notably different sizes of equipment and often different accessories and options. The footprint of a plant and the machine weigh heavily into a processor’s decision.

“We have injectors that cover the range from smaller processing operations to full production lines, at various budgets,” Bako said. “We work very closely with our customers, in all stages of the process, with planning and execution to ensure an efficient, seamless installation and transition to the new system.”

Injection adds value to both bone-in and boneless products using the same machine, saving processors time and money. (Source: Precipak)

Supplier messaging

Injection equipment manufacturers and suppliers want processors to know and understand how injection will increase yields and the bottom line. This comes from incorporating the proper steps and attending to the all the smaller details necessary to maximize injection.

“I want to show how the equipment can make them more money, with improved yields and to minimize labor for higher throughputs or volume,” Steinman said. “Then show them the flexibility to grow into other products using a flexible injector that is capable to run a wider range of products for higher throughput and with minimal costs. Space is always an issue in plants, and this could be a solution to maximize that space.”

Sbraga added that the machines themselves have to be efficient while working the brine into the muscle.

“Brine is expensive, meat prices are up and so are wages,” he said. “Maximizing yields while reducing waste is a big topic with customers these days. Brine being dumped down the drain is expensive. Being low on injection yields is not maximizing your profits.”

Large machinery such as injection machines or systems require significant capital investments from food processors. Suppliers need to assure their customers the equipment purchased will deliver the attributes needed to bring the revenue value-added products should, not only at the time of sale but for the long haul.

“At Precipak, the main message we want to convey to customers is the injection and the machines provide them flexibility, improved product quality and the ability to meet customer demands and follow industry trends,” Yates said.

Injecting automation

Both large- and small-scale processors have seen the need for automation’s continued growth. The automation in the injection segment will continue to grow alongside the overall trend. Processors can look forward to keeping up with changing consumer demands and keeping up with more orders for value-added meat and poultry than ever before.

“Automation will also help the producer solve one of their biggest challenges — finding adequate staffing for current operations,” Bako said. “Automation is also understood to improve a company’s overall culture and improve employee retention, consistency from batch to batch, and the safety of workers.”

The evolution of human-machine interaction interfaces that provide data and allow ease of use for operators, predict and alert to preventative maintenance, and better the efficiency of processes will all move forward as automation improves and becomes more innovative. Operators will gain the tools of further analysis through technology to make better decisions in the future adding to speed, accuracy, throughput and higher profit margins.

“As ingredients and consumer demand evolve, we will see injection equipment evolve to meet these evolutionary needs,” Hunt said. “We will never deviate from the demand for reliable equipment that delivers exceptional standard deviation and allows for simple operation and assembly.”

Hayden added, “As technology advances, we will see a higher demand for cloud computing and downtime prevention with real-time accessibility and data collection.”