These sorts of chronic yield issues can result in:
Fortunately, protein processors have some valuable options for identifying and solving the root causes of a number of common yield problems.
One Messer team member who works with protein processors remarks that “the first thing I look for when evaluating yield is liquid on the floor—or, if it’s a cooking plant, steam escaping to the ceiling.” We examine common causes of yield problems below.
1. Inefficient Raw Ingredient Processing: any yield loss during raw ingredient processing represents lost product and requires larger inputs to be used to maintain final product weight.
2. Unquenched Cooked Meats or Meat Alternatives: after cooking, any time when a protein product remains hot is time that risks moisture loss via steam or drip loss, reducing yield.
3. Lost Ingredients for Prepared Products: meat or alternative meat toppings can be shaken loose from prepared foods during processing or packaging.
4. Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) Foods: if IQF yield is lost (for example, from product sticking together or to the conveyor belt) processors must use extra product to create a buffer margin against underweight or overweight packages.
5. Protein Products Sticking to Conveyor Belts: products like meat patties can easily stick to conveyor belts, reducing yield while potentially creating misshapen products.
Identifying a yield problem is always the first step to solving it. Beyond simply looking for drippage or evaporation, this article from Food Engineering recommends a number of other options to help proactively detect yield problems.
1. SPC (Statistical Process Control) can be used to identify yield issues in blending and batching processes, with a reported ROI ranging from 20 to 30 percent.
2. Mass-balance reporting systems can help track and identify product loss across the entire production line.
3. Track and analyze key metrics (e.g. protein content, weight fluctuation, water content) throughout processing. In-process adjustments can help account for variation in raw materials.
Evaluate control system software to find an approach that can protect quality without sacrificing speed.
Once a problem is identified, how can protein processors go about solving the underlying issue? Improvements can be pursued along two related paths.
First, process improvements can help ensure that best practices are followed. This category of improvement is all about improving yields for the existing technological process. This article from Food Manufacturing provides some great suggestions for tighter quality control, preventive maintenance, improved inventory tracking, and more.
Second, protein processors can invest in new technical capabilities that help solve the root causes behind yield issues. For example, Messer’s experience implementing cryogenics for protein processing has demonstrated a variety of valuable use cases.
In each of the applications outlined below, cryogenic chilling and freezing solutions can improve product yield, while offering other benefits. Cryogenic food processing technologies can be cost-effective, are highly scalable, and can help improve yields for both large and small processing facilities.
Solutions like cryo-assisted impingement and tunnel freezers overcome key limitations of traditional mechanical freezing techniques. If past experiences with mechanical freezing have proven unsatisfactory, now is still a great time to explore the capabilities of the latest cryogenic protein processing solutions.
If you’re interested in a more detailed discussion about improving your protein processing capabilities using cryogenics, we encourage you to contact the Messer team for advice and/or a complimentary production process assessment. We have decades of industry-specific experience, and assessment of your facility and processes is a great way to start down the path to improving product yield.