Abattoir Practices and Animal Products Technology

EQUIPMENT DESIGN

Equipment design aspects as well as operating efficiency, durability etc. to be considered.

• Faults in construction and design include: Use of wood for equipment and tools. Wood cannot be cleaned and disinfected with ease and is liable to deteriorate rapidly in moist surroundings.
• Use of unsuitable fastenings, which can work loose and contaminate the product.
• Provision of ledges and corners where meat, fat etc., can lodge and cause bacterial build up.
• Badly recessed nuts, bolts and screws can also gather scraps and hinder cleansing.
• Use of expanded metal for decks, walkways and staircases especially near conveyors. All these should be constructed from non-slip solid plate.
• Metal joints, which are rough. Joints should be welded and then ground to a smooth finish.
• Fixed covers for conveyors that makes cleaning difficult.
• The design and location of equipment should be such as to allow for ease and efficiency of cleaning and disinfection.
• The slaughter house must be fitted with overhead weigh bridges, stunning pens, stunning equipment, overheads rails (twin bar runways), electric hoists, pulley, beef trees, hooks, electric hide removers, tail pullers, carcass splitting saws, trolleys, hot water sprayers, etc.
• The special requirements for the slaughtering of pigs include, gaseous stunning, pig traps, scalding and dehairing machinery.