How we help the meat and seafood industries
We help companies:
- improve the tenderness of post slaughter meat and seafood using novel processing technologies
- promote optimal meat colour development and stability
- add value to smallgoods and lower value cuts
- develop ready-to-eat meat and seafood products
- increase the shelf-life of raw, cooked and ready-to-eat meats and seafood using novel technologies and packaging
- minimise development of warmed over flavour in cooked meat
- develop products low in salt, fat and energy for local and international markets
- develop restructured muscle food products using high moisture extrusion technology
- design muscle food products with appropriate textures for people with compromised swallowing abilities.
We conduct fundamental research into the role of muscle structure in tenderness, colour development and stability to provide solutions to these perennial problems in the industry.
We also have a long history of providing consultancy services to the meat industry.
Industry case study: JBS Australia
Australian beef processors have traditionally been sceptical about spray chilling beef carcases in fear of compromising the reputation chilled vacuum-packed primal cuts have of a long shelf-life.
Scientists from CSIRO's food innovation centre worked with JBS Australia to assess a pilot spray chilling installation at their Dinmore plant in Queensland and the effect on storage life of chilled beef. We showed that spray chilling reduced chilling shrink loss hence improving saleable meat yield without any loss of storage life compared with non-spray chilled sides.
Following the results of our work, JBS extended spray chilling to all their Australian plants and most other major beef processors followed suit resulting in increased returns to the Australian meat industry as a whole. JBS received an award from the Australian Meat Processing Corporation for this work.
Key resources for the meat and seafood industries
Key CSIRO resources available for industry include:
- a fully operational meat processing plant with the ability to manufacture meat from emulsions to whole muscle hams
- a high moisture extruder for creating fibrous texture in restructured muscle foods
- laboratory and pilot scale high pressure processing units for developing concept products and increasing shelf-life of ready-to-eat muscle foods
- expertise in meat texture analysis such as Warner-Bratzler measurement to determine tenderness of muscle foods
- chilled display units for meat colour, retail display and shelf life studies
- expertise in visualisation of muscle structure – light, confocal and transmission electron microscopy
- meat expertise and laboratories in Melbourne and Brisbane.
To discuss opportunities in meat product innovation for your business, contact
Dr Aarti Tobin
(AGRICULTURE & FOOD)
Aarti Tobin has extensive experience developing commercially successful value-added meat products for local and export markets in Australia and New Zealand including ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meat products, low fat, low energy, low salt processed meat products and meat products suitable for consumers with dysphagia (swallowing disorders) to name a few.