Meat cutting and packaging

Definition of meat cutting, basic requirements of proper

meat cutting, primal cuts of pork and lamb/goat,
importance of fresh meat packaging, different packaging
techniques (Overwraps, tray with overwrap, shrink film
overwrap, vacuum packaging, MAP).
 Cutting
• In cutting plants, carcass are cut off into small
pieces. The extent of division depend
principally on type of meat and its destination.
In case of poultry, cutting is carried out
obtaining half carcasses, quarter, ribs, wings,
breast, drumstick and thigh.
 Packaging
• The different pieces of chicken are usually
packaged with plastic boxes or plastic card
trays. Depending on their destination they are
kept in refrigerated or freezing chamber.
 Storage
• Dressed chicken can be stored in a refrigerator
at 2⁰c for 7 days and deep freezer -18 to 20 ⁰c
for a period of 4-6 months.
 Meat cutting: objectives
1. Pricing
2. To adopt different cutting methods or
different cuts.
3. To present in an attractive way (consumer
appeal preference).
 Meat cutting: Definition
• Meat cutting refers to the skill of separation of carcass
into wholesale primal cuts in order to facilitate
requirements of meat trade, cater to the consumer
preference and convenient handling by the butchers.

• It’s a specialized work which requires the export

butchers so as to have fair understanding of animal
confirmation: a good knowledge of carcass
components and break-up consumer preference and
on-the-job experience.
• Different cutting methods are followed in
various countries. Hence, terms, like British
cutting method, American cutting method,
French cutting method etc. are common

• Primal cuts are divided into sub primal which

are further made into retail cuts.
Basic requirements of meat cutting

i. The carcass has to be essentially chilled for proper meat

cutting and trimming job.
ii. Meat cutting room should be maintained at a
temperature of 15-20⁰C and relative humidity of 80%.
This environment is wholesome for meat and convenient
to workers.
iii. All meat cutting equipments and machinery such as
meat cutting tables, various types of knives, manual as
well as electrically operated saws should be made up of
stainless steel and be sufficiently sharp.
iv. Meat cutting operation has to be done by
adequately trained and experienced butchers.
It is important to maintain uniformity in cuts.

v. Approved meat cutting method should be

followed step by step as per standard
specifications.

vi. Thumb rules for meat cutting techniques.

 Thumb rules for meat cutting techniques are

a. More valued primal cuts are separated from

the less valued counterparts.
b. The muscular portion is cut with a sharp knife.
c. The bony structure is severed with a manual
or mechanized saw.
d. A limited force is applied while disjointing
whenever joints are involved .
 Pork cutting: Pork wholesale cuts
• Pork carcass are divided into right and left
sides. Each side is further divided into:
1. Leg (Ham)
2. Loin
3. Belly (Bacon)
4. New york shoulder (Butt and Picnic)
5. Jowl
6. Tender loin
Compulsory (Exam)
Meat cuts (Pork)
 Uses of pork cuts
• Ham and Loin are most valuable cuts: whole ham or
its parts are used for making cured and smoked meat
products. Lean sausage material is also obtained from
the cuts. Loin is a tender cut and is used for making
chops. It’s also used for making cured products.
• Butt and picnic shoulder are suitable for roasting.
Excellent material for sausage and ground meat are
obtained from it.
• Belly is used for bacon preparation.
• Jowl serves as a good sausage material.
 Goat and Lamb Cutting
• Wholesale cuts of Lamb/Goat are:
1. Shoulder
2. Brisket
3. Rack
4. Breast
5. Short loin
6. Flank
7. Fore-shank
8. Neck
9. Leg
Cuts of Goat and Lamb
 Uses of Lamb cuts
• Breast is less desirable and used as a by-
product, chops are made from racks or rack is
used as roast rack.
• Shoulder is used for chops; short-loin is a
quality cut and is used for chops and roasting.
• Leg is used for preparing steaks, chops and
roasts.
 Beef cutting
• Wholesale cuts of Buffalo/Beef are:
• Fore quarters have 4 wholesale cuts.
1. Chuck
2. Brisket
3. Rib
4. Plate
Wholesale cuts from beef hind quarter are:
1. Short loin
2. Sirloin
3. Flank
4. Round
Cuts of Buffalo or beef carcass
 Uses of beef cuts
1. Chuck is highly fleshy and contains moderate amount of fat. It’s
suitable for the preparation of steak and ground meat.
2. Brisket is not a valuable cut, is suitable for boiling and may be
used for corned beef.
3. Plate is not a valuable cut and is suitable for stewing and
making corned beef.
4. Rib, Loin (short and sirloin) and Round are valuable primal cuts.
They are lean and firm. Most of the valuable processed
products are made from this cuts. Chopsticks and Roasts are
made from them.
5. Flank may be used for stewing and pot roasting and as a
sausage material.
Cuts of Chicken
 Packaging
• Packaging refers to the scientific method of
containing a food for optimum protection till it
reaches the ultimate consumer.

• Proper packaging helps in maintaining the

quality of a product during storage, transport
and provides convenience for easy handling by
the consumers.
• Packaging of fresh meat is required for the
following reasons:

i. To prevent moisture loss during storage.

ii. To offer meat in a most desirable colour to the
consumers.
iii. To prevent further microbial contamination.
iv. To prevent foreign odours by meat.
v. To prevent lipid oxidation.
• The following packaging materials and
techniques are in use for a retail cuts of fresh
meats.
1. Overwraps:
• Primal and subprimal cuts of fresh meat are
overwrapped with thermoplastic flims.
• Low density polyethylene (100 gauge) is the
most widely used and cheapest film for this
purpose.
• Cellophane coated with polyethylene can be
used for irregular shaped meats.
overwraps
2. Tray with Overwrap:
• It is the most common packages for retail
fresh meat cuts in western countries are
polystyrene foam or clear plastic trays
overwrapped with a transparent
thermoplastic film.
• This meat has a shelf life of 10 days at 0 ⁰c .
However, it can retain the desirable bright red
colour for 5 days only.
3. Shrink Film overwrap:
• These films are used for wrapping large and
uneven cuts of fresh meat.
• These are also frequently recommended for
storage of carcass quarters under frozen
condition.
4. Vaccum Packaging:
• This technique is recommended for long term
storage of primal and sub primal cuts of buffalo
meat and beef.
• It ensures a shelf life of 8-10 weeks at 0⁰C.
Vacuum packaging of lamb and pork is avoided for
different reasons.
• Lamb may have a shelf life of 3 weeks only
because of comparatively high pH.
• Pork starts with a large load of bacteria and pork
cuts are reported to have a shelf life of 2 weeks
only at 1 ⁰C.
• Vacuum packaging is done either in laminates.
Typical laminates in use are:
• Aluminium foil/Polyethylene
• Polyster/Polyethylene
• Polyamide/Polyethylene
• PVDC/Polyester/Polyethylene
Modified atmosphere packaging:
• In this technique, atmosphere inside the package
is modified to extend the shelf life of meat while
retaining its colour, flavor and weight.
• The package air can be suitably replaced by gases
usually nitrogen, oxygen or carbon dioxide alone or in
combination.
• Nitrogen serves as an inert filler to balance a gas
mixture.
• Gas composition: 60-80% oxygen and 20-40%
carbondioxide
Materials used:
• polyethylene (PE)/polyvinylchloride(PVC)
…Thank you…..