The food industry works continuously to find ways to ensure products are safe for consumption. Discover why innovative X-ray inspection technology is a key investment for every poultry processing operation providing deboned products, especially chicken breast fillets, thigh and drumsticks, and trimmings.
Recent times have seen the adoption of a global definition of food safety, with the release of the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene, a collection of standards established by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). The core of this definition is simple:
Food is safe when it does not harm the health of the consumer.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
1. Meet increasing food safety demands
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has lead to the concept of food safety becoming more widespread and more strictly enforced. There is now greater awareness that the dangers compromising food safety can come in many forms, including natural elements such as bone fragments and foreign contaminants such as metal and glass.
X-ray bone detection automatically finds bones and other hard contaminants in poultry meat and rejects products from the processing stream, enabling processors to deliver consistently safe, high-quality products. X-ray detection systems play a crucial role for processors who need to meet the most stringent food safety legislation requirements. In addition, in many parts of the world, customers in the retail and food service sector require their suppliers to have the highest levels of safety in their food processing operations. Contracts can only be secured when a company can provide assurance that their products have been inspected for bone and other hard contaminants such as metal, glass and stone.
2. Get ready for the future
In today’s environment, it is simply not acceptable to deliver poultry products with potentially hazardous bone fragments. X-ray bone detection systems have therefore become an essential part of high-quality deboning. They are used by leading poultry processors worldwide and have become a necessary investment to remain competitive.
To manage the risk of contaminants and at the same time improve product quality, more and more food processors are choosing to invest in X-ray inspection systems and stay ahead of a demand that is likely to become a requirement in the not too distant future.
3. Guarantee safety and quality
Safety and quality requirements for boneless poultry meat vary between local markets, but consumer expectations for bone-free chicken are constant throughout the world. X-ray bone detection is a guarantee for both customers and consumers that they will always get safe, high-quality products from a processor.
Poultry processors with a focus on food safety have been quick to invest in X-ray technology. The ability to guarantee safe, high-quality products has given them a competitive advantage, ensuring larger contracts are secured. Not only does X-ray inspection help protect a processor’s good name, but it also safeguards customer loyalty. If bones and fragments aren’t effectively removed, customers will easily switch suppliers and consumers will choose to purchase another brand.
4. Automate to minimize risk
Manual inspection is not always an effective way of detecting bone and other hard contaminants. X-ray inspection automates the process, minimizing the risk of human error to make processing more reliable. It can detect with far higher accuracy than the human eye alone.
X-ray inspection has also been designed to minimize handling, which reduces cross-contamination, improves product safety, and ultimately increases the value of poultry products.
5. Enhance quality assurance and traceability
X-ray technology, when combined with the right production management software, allows real-time monitoring of poultry processing. It gives insight that allows quick and easy implementation of improvements to ensure products meet safety requirements.
In addition, it also allows reports to be delivered on bone detection rates, enhancing quality assurance as well as traceability.
X-ray technologies, such as Marel’s SensorX Poultry, help processors worldwide to provide bone-free products that meet the highest safety standards. Since Marel introduced the groundbreaking SensorX technology to the poultry processing industry in 2006, it has been sold in over 40 countries around the world. It has set the global standard for bone detection in poultry processing. The system has built a reputation amongst processors as the most accurate, consistent and reliable way to detect and reject bone.
We would need 100 checking operators to achieve the same speed as the SensorX. The quality of the finished product has also significantly improved.
Subin Cherdchoothum
Processing Plant Manager, BRF Thailand
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