How to eviscerate a duck?

When it comes to Pekin ducks, these are mainly sold as whole birds. Cut-up products account for a smaller share. But what defines the perfect whole duck? Certainly, it should have no remaining feathers or pins, a task carried out by Marel PMJ defeathering and waxing solutions. The best possible duck must also be perfectly eviscerated.

Jos Spaan, Marel PMJ’s product specialist for ducks, says, “The perfect duck does not exist. Across regions, whole duck preferences vary, reflecting differing requirements. In the Americas, the primary focus is on the HOFO (head on, feet on), closely followed by the griller. In Europe, grillers take center stage, with HOFOs following suit. In Asia, the predominant choice leans towards the Asian-style duck.”

Whole duck types

There are many different names and definitions for whole duck types.

1. The griller duck also known as regular duck. It’s a head-off, feet-off, neck-off, neck-skin-on product.
2. The HOFO, head-on, feat-on duck, also known as Buddhist style or Special.
3. The griller with neck. This is a head-off, feet-off, neck-on and neck-skin-on product.
4. Confucian style. This is often a HOFO with the viscera pack still inside.
5. The Asian style duck. This is a head-on, feet-off product. First the bird is seasoned from the inside, then it is closed and pumped up like a balloon. To effectively close the bird, the opening needs to be small. Maximum skin has to remain on the bird. This has a big impact on the way of processing.

Viscera & by-products

Looking at viscera and by-products, Jos Spaan says, “Regional differences might look small but can be very critical for the way a duck is processed. For example, in the Western world, necks and tongues are considered by-products, but on the other side of the globe, these products bring in the money. Necks need to be long, giving optimum yields. The same goes for tongues, also a very valuable product in Asia but only when the little tendons are still connected. Such small details are quite important when processing ducks.”

Polyvalent processing

“With so many different markets and requirements, it is a challenge for duck processors to produce all the different kinds of products on the same polyvalent line. There are no dedicated griller lines or dedicated HOFO lines. Ducks are routed through the evisceration process to their eventual destination. Based on quality, weight and end product, certain ducks will by-pass certain steps in the evisceration process. A HOFO duck, for instance, with neck and head on will by-pass operations to crack necks and clean neck skins. Where chicken products diverge in the secondary part of processing, duck products already diverge before evisceration,” continues Jos Spaan.

Evisceration processes

Duck evisceration starts with vent opening, a semi-automatic operation. The duck cloaca is surrounded by a lot of loose skin, which means that the position of the cloaca is slightly different for each duck. That is a big challenge for automation. Duck evisceration means the spoon extracts the complete viscera pack except the lungs.

Inspection

Certain countries like the USA follow USDA inspection requirements. Specific guidelines regulate bird positioning, such as suspending ducks by the tarsal joints with the head in the same shackle and requiring a pre-cut in the tarsal joints. Marel PMJ offers automated equipment capable of meeting these precise requirements.
In Europe, veterinary inspection requires complete separation of viscera packs from the carcass. In Asia, there are many different local requirements. Marel PMJ offers four options to enable inspection according to these local requirements.

• The viscera pack is eviscerated and left hanging by the esophagus over the breast side of the bird. This is needed for some specific markets.
• The pack is fully separated from the carcass, dropped on a conveyor belt and presented to the inspector. The belt is fully synchronized with the overhead conveyor so that the carcass and its viscera pack can be inspected together.
• The pack is completely separated, put in an individual tray on a conveyor and presented together with the carcass to the inspector.
• The pack is fully separated from the carcass and put in an individual tray on a conveyor with additional USDA requirements.

For duck processors everywhere in the world, Marel PMJ has the knowledge, experience, technology and equipment to provide tailor-made solutions.