Innovation and new insights

The 63rd edition of the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology (ICoMST) was held in August in Cork, the Republic of Ireland. The impressive attendance – 554 participants from 65 countries, who could choose from 64 presentations and more than 450 posters– clearly demonstrates a strong need to share knowledge and progress with one another. Theo Verkleij (TNO) reflects on the most innovative and revealing insights presented there. 

Origin Green

Padraig Brennan (Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board) provided an overview of how the Irish beef industry has advanced since 2012 thanks to the Origin Green concept. It is the world’s only sustainability programme that has been rolled out on a national level. The programme brings together the government, the private sector and the food producers (via Bord Bia). Irish farmers and food processors can set themselves, and work towards achieving, measurable sustainability targets. These targets are aimed at reducing the environmental impact of their production activities, playing a more effective role in local communities and preserving natural resources. In support of the programme, all primary companies are audited regularly. Origin Green is now being used outside of the Republic of Ireland as an example of how to improve the sustainability of the primary sector.

Slaughter line of the future

Ove Alvseike (Animalia, Norway) gave a presentation on the innovative Meat Factory Cell: a concept for ‘the slaughter line of the future’. At the start of his presentation, Ove asked how many people in the audience would like to take a ride in a convertible...Numerous hands were raised, until Ove finished his question with the words “...in the Sahara?” Needless to say, that changed things immediately. His message was clear: “Step off the beaten path and look at new developments with an open mind.”

He then presented a short animated film illustrating a new approach to pig slaughter based on a series of cell stations instead of a continuous slaughter line. The cells shown in the film were arranged in such a way that the carcass is processed mechanically from the outside in. For example, the carcass is divided up into primal cuts before removal of the intestines. The horizontal positioning of the carcass reduces the risk of contamination during removal of the intestines. To prevent cold shortening, the various primal cuts are cooled down in phases depending on their size. 

The presentation did not cover the investment aspect, unfortunately, but the idea appeals to me in principle – it is very similar to inverted slaughter, which is a concept that has been on my mind for some time. Before removal of the intestines, the carcass is turned upside down and hung by the front legs to prevent the carcass from becoming contaminated. 

Automation

Clyde Campbell (Scott Automation, Australia) presented a series of short films demonstrating the company’s progress in slaughter-line automation. The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning technique is used to detect individual carcasses before automated deboning. The benefits of this approach include a higher yield, manual labour-savings and a lower risk of carcass contamination. 

Electric stunning

Mustafa Farouk (AgResearch, New Zealand) showed how the current method of electric stunning can be used in a halal slaughter line to support slaughterhouse workers who are tasked with throat-cutting. In ritual slaughtering methods such as halal, it is absolutely essential that the animals can regain consciousness, stand up and walk away after any form of stunning. Research has shown that, when today’s method of electric stunning is used, the animals come round again after approx. 200 seconds. The newly developed method is an electric ‘head-to-body stunning’, and this method also allows a complete recovery. It has been tested on sheep, goats and calves, and the findings show that the animals are stunned for approx. 500 seconds. This gives slaughterhouse employees more time to do their work with due care and attention. 

Meat consumption and cancer

Four speakers zoomed in on the possible link between meat consumption and the risk of colon cancer in their presentations. Carrie Ruxton (Nutrition Communication UK) provided detailed analysis of the 2015 IARC/WHO report, commenting on the fact that the IARC’s communication of its conclusions left a lot to be desired. As a result, there were shortcomings and inaccuracies in the way the media communicated the findings to the general public. Furthermore, she stated that the conclusions are based on ‘vague’ data. 

The evidence supporting the claim that normal consumption of red meat causes colon cancer is weak, she said. Besides that, there is no international agreement on what exactly constitutes ‘red meat’. In the EU this term covers all meat from mammals, for example, whereas pork is classed as ‘white meat’ in the USA. Meanwhile various Asian countries place chicken-breast meat in the ‘white meat’ category yet class chicken-leg meat as ‘red meat’. There are also sizeable variations in the intake of meat per continent and even per area of a continent. The SACN reported a possible link between a high intake of red and processed meat and the development of colon cancer back in 2010. However, that conclusion can only be drawn from epidemiological studies. Carrie concluded that the research results in this field are inconsistent.

The EPIC study reveals the same number of registered cases of colon cancer among vegetarians as among meat eaters. The SACN study could not indicate which level of red-meat consumption could cause problems. However, the SACN did conclude that it is necessary to consume at least 70g of red or processed meat per day based on the required daily amount of iron and zinc. The IARC/WHO have adopted the amount of 70g per day. According to Carrie, the research paid insufficient attention to the consumption of vegetables in conjunction with meat; it is widely accepted that vegetables can counteract the potentially negative effect of red meat. In October 2017, the IARC is due to publish details to substantiate the data on which the 2015 IARC/WHO report was based. (I have requested the ICoMST panel to publish its own overview of the current knowledge relating to meat consumption, including a breakdown per animal type, and the development of colon cancer in the case of high consumption levels, before the IARC publication is released). 

If you would like to know more about any of the above-mentioned topics, please contact the editorial team or Theo Verkleij: [email protected]