Effects of Meat Factory Cell on pork qualities, sensory characteristics and carcass hygiene: an exploratory study.

The Meat Factory Cell (MFC) concept restructures the slaughter line into cell stations and merges elements of the slaughter- and primal cutting processes. With the MFC approach, most of the primals are removed prior to evisceration. This study describes the effect of the MFC concept on carcass hygiene, carcass yield, meat quality traits, and sensory characteristics of selected MFC products from trials with the very first pig carcasses processed with the MFC approach. Results show that hygiene of MFC carcasses rivals conventionally slaughtered carcasses. For quality variables and sensory characteristics of selected MFC products, the study shows that the MFC approach will result in products that equal, and in some cases surpass, conventional products, provided that proper processing, packaging and chilling is applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]