Meat+Poultry - June 2021 - 63

chicken without unwanted water pickup. A
longer, slower air chill tenderizes the bird more
than a quick cool down, similar to aging beef.
Our chickens cycle through air chill for 2.5
hours, and that time will increase by 20% at our
new chicken harvesting facility that will begin
operations late this year. "
That's why Bell & Evans focuses on the
length of time of air chill, having the longest
chilling lines in the industry.
" While some other producers have
incorporated air chill into their process, most
poultry processors still use water chilling or
a hybrid of the two because of the cost, space
and yield loss (water weight) of converting
to 100% air chill, " Sechler said. " I believe
we'll continue to see increasing consumer
demand for 100% air-chilled chicken because
of the quality differences in taste, texture
and appearance. "
Duke Vaughan, sales manager and clean
air chill product manager for Kansas City,
Kan.-based Baader Poultry USA, noted poultry
processors are continuously looking for ways
to improve on their processing solutions
for environmental, economic and consumer
reasons with the goal being the ability to
produce the highest quality product, while
meeting or exceeding industry standards.
" Baader recognizes the consumer
demand for a superior product from poultry
producers, " he said. " This may consist of Grade
A whole birds as well as high-quality cuts and
premium deboned products. Our objective is
to get the birds to a low core temperature as
well as produce the safest and most superior
quality product, which is a vital part of the
end process. "
AIR MOVEMENT
While the industry standard in the United
States is water chilling, consumers are driving
processors toward better quality attributes
that can be produced by air chilling. According
to Vaughan, air-chilled chicken tastes better,
cooks consistently, and contains less bacteria
than water-chilled chicken.
" Air chilling is also environmentally
friendly, saving considerable amounts of water
while providing a superior product, " he said.
" The Baader Clean Air Chill unique single-layer
design prevents cross contamination from
overhead dripping. Furthermore, our separate
Low Temperature Room reduces bacteria,
such as Campylobacter and Pseudomonas, for
increased shelf life. "
In-line air chilling uses no additives,
cuts water usage drastically, does away
with the need to re-hang product manually
from a counter-flow immersion chill system
and, being in-line, allows full product-byproduct
traceability.
That's why Foodmate only offers air-cooling
systems. Rozendaal noted this is the better
option for food safety reasons as there is less
of a chance of bacterial growth.
" While
some other
producers have
incorporated
air chill into
their process,
most poultry
processors
still use water
chilling or a
hybrid of the
two because of
the cost, space
and yield loss. "
- SCOTT SECHLER
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Meat+Poultry - June 2021

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