The world population is growing and at the same time urbanizing. It is a great challenge to feed all people in the cities around the world, who have more and more specific demands about the food they eat. Consumers want to know about the origin of their food; preferably it is their own region. They want to have the highest quality and secure the highest food safety, coming from sources they can trust. Therefore, markets are profoundly changing, and food producers who are aware of that, will change their product portfolio accordingly.
When talking poultry in the Arabian and East-African markets, consumers are moving away from the traditional (frozen) whole chicken product. Looking for convenience, they tend to buy increasingly more cut-up chicken pieces in a tray, ready to cook. Consumers appreciate fixed-weight portions in retail packages, which make it easier to prepare a meal at home.
Poultry processors will have to bear this in mind when distributing their products to the whole product line or to the cut-up line. They’ll have to match production with market demand.
A shift to air chilling
A shift from water chilling to air chilling can also be noticed in the Middle East and East Africa. The air chilling process will largely determine the appearance of the end product, its shelf life and the weight of product available for sale. The advanced air chilling technologies of Marel Poultry lead to minimal yield loss, 0.5% at maximum, which is the highest performance in the market.
The challenge is to bring the deep core breast temperature to 4° C, or even 2° C if required, without freezing thin portions such as neck skin and wing tips. Technology is also applied to avoid discoloration and brown dry-in spots.
Marel’s air chilling tunnels focus on the highest hygiene levels, e.g. by preventing products from dripping on one another, and are easy to clean.
