Heart of the process
In the brand new Aglow Farms greenfield plant, a Marel heavy-duty overhead conveyor, spanning over 80 meters [262 ft] of length, is the heart of the process. Hanging in the shackles, broilers pass through the Marel Water Bath Stunner, which delivers an effective, reliable electrical stun. After killing and bleeding out, products are conveyed to the Marel Scalder. This immersion scalder has low energy and water consumption, a big benefit in African conditions. Products are then thoroughly defeathered in the Marel Plucker, after which the Marel Head Puller does automatically what is a hard manual job.
Manual evisceration
Still hanging from the overhead conveyor system, products automatically enter the evisceration department. This ensures an ergonomic operating environment for workers, who do all cutting and drawing operations by hand, using a manual vent gun, opening scissors and evisceration forks. Hearts, livers, gizzards and necks are also harvested manually, after which a lung suction gun is used to remove the lungs. Each product is cleaned by a Marel Inside/Outside Washer before it passes the Leg Cutter which cuts off the feet, dropping the whole products into the screw chiller.
Cut-up
Aglow Farms cuts up its products manually, producing thighs, wings, breasts and legs. “We have gone into cut-up because in our market, not too many people can afford a whole chicken. It’s too expensive and too much for them. Chicken cuts are therefore becoming increasingly important here; we want to offer our clients the complete range,” continues Kofi Brobbey Kyei. “We are aiming to cut 80-90% of our production. In Ghana there’s a big market for thighs and wings and we want to open up the niche market for breasts. We’re targeting those intermediate distributors who until now have been importing products. We are trying to convince them to buy and sell products grown at home. They have all shown great interest in doing so and we are eager to see the results.”