Where does the yield go when you debone a pig?

A deboning room can hit its overall yield target and still lose product. Expensive cuts can end up as trimmings, and most producers pack slightly over their fixed weights. Rudi Marx, Client Relations Specialist at Matrix Software, explains where the losses happen, and the daily checks that catch them, with or without software.

 

Why overall batch yield can hide expensive mistakes

“Most plants only monitor the production batch’s overall yield. This could potentially be a costly mistake,” says Marx.
A batch figure can look acceptable while cutting mistakes stay hidden inside it. Staff might over-trim expensive cuts or even cut an expensive product into a cheaper one to cover up a mistake.

Marx recommends measuring the yield of each product against a standard yield set by the production manager. “Once you start measuring yields per cut as well, you will end up with a better product and also have more control over your overall yield,” he says.

How expensive cuts end up as trimmings

According to Marx, over-trimming is a main cause of cutting loss. That’s why he stresses measuring the yield of each output product separately.

During portioning, he says the most common issue is inexperienced staff. They might struggle to judge the right size for a cut, such as a 200 g portion. When they then trim the product down to size, expensive meat ends up as trimmings.

Poor measuring causes a similar problem. If staff don’t measure properly before they start cutting, the process leaves many end bits, and those also go into trimmings.

What giveaway looks like and how to control it

Retail packs usually carry a fixed weight. “With meat you will almost never be able to pack exactly to spec,” says Marx.
Producers therefore set tolerances, which are a minimum and a maximum weight for each packed product. Most pack slightly over the fixed weight while staying within those limits. The customer isn’t charged for the extra meat, and that unpaid weight is called giveaway.

To keep giveaway to a minimum, Marx recommends two controls:

● Calibrate the check weight scales regularly throughout the day.
● Run frequent spot checks to measure over-packing and under-packing.

Re-weigh carcasses to separate drip loss from cutting loss

A pig carcass loses weight as it cools, and this weight loss is called drip loss. Marx advises re-weighing carcasses as they enter the deboning room, before anyone starts cutting.

“You want to measure your cutting loss separately from the drip loss,” he says.

Re-weighing shows how much weight the carcasses lost before deboning began. That loss happens while they cool, and the time carcasses spend in the chiller affects how much weight they lose.

What a deboning room supervisor should check every day

Marx suggests these daily checks:

● Weigh product accurately as it goes into production and as it comes out.
● Check the yield of each individual cut.
● Track the overall production yield.
● Measure the waste yield.
● Monitor giveaway during portioning.
● Compare total production time with the kilograms packed, measured in kilograms per hour.

Steps to take this week, with or without software

Marx’s first recommendation is to check your scales. “Confirm the input and output scales are properly calibrated and are all aligned with each other,” he says.

He also advises confirming the standard yields you measure production against. Manual yield tests help too. Weigh the input regularly and compare it with your output products.

How the Matrix Deboning module records yield

The Matrix Deboning module records the weight of each carcass by serial number as it goes into deboning. Once the carcass is broken up, each cut is weighed and labelled with its own serial number. That number ties the cut to its production batch for traceability.

Matrix normally records this data by batch and not per worker. If your plant’s layout and cutting methods allow it, you can allocate a batch to each worker.

Managers can follow batch results throughout the day’s production. These figures help with progress reports and with explaining downtime. The system shows either a summary of all batches or the detail of a single batch. Once a batch is closed off, Marx advises checking the yields it achieved.

Frequently asked questions

Why isn’t overall batch yield enough?

A batch figure can hide cutting mistakes, such as over-trimming expensive cuts. Measuring the yield of each cut against a standard yield shows where product is lost.

What is giveaway in meat packing?

Giveaway is the extra meat in a pack above its fixed weight. The customer isn’t charged for it, even when the pack stays within the producer’s tolerances.

Why should carcasses be re-weighed before deboning?

A carcass loses weight through drip loss as it cools. Re-weighing it as it enters the deboning room lets you measure cutting loss separately from drip loss.

How can a deboning room reduce yield loss this week?

Check that your input and output scales are calibrated and aligned with each other. Then run manual yield tests that compare input weight with output products.

Talk to a Matrix specialist

 

Matrix can record the weight of every carcass and cut in your deboning room and link each cut to its production batch. To find out how this would work in your operation, speak to a Matrix meat processing specialist.