Page 18 - Australian Pork Newsapaper

Pork Eating Quality Research – a great story, but...
ON behalf of producers, Australian Pork Limited has conducted a num- ber of research trials designed to better un- derstand the consumer’s eating experience of Australian pork.
These research findings provide baseline measure of current quality, whilst also identifying several changes that can be imple- mented to improve vari- ous eating characteristics and ultimately, overall quality of Australian pork in the future.
Internationally recog- nised sampling and test- ing standards were used to measure consumer prefer- ences for a range of pork cuts, cooked using various methods, from pigs raised and processed under com- mercial production sys- tems common across the Australian industry.
The research followed a
pathways approach from ‘farm to fork’ testing vari- ous production and pro- cessing methods or vari- ables in an effort to under- stand the level of impact these interventions would have on the eating char- acteristics and ultimately consumer acceptance of Australian pork.
The findings are largely positive for Australian pork.
The good news is the findings confirm our cur- rent production systems deliver consistent quality pork, with consumers rat- ing the majority of our products as good to aver- age quality.
This probably comes as no surprise given the uni- formity and consistency of Australian pigs when com- pared to, say the Australian beef industry which has a far broader range of breeds, production systems and
different ages when cat- tle are processed, all these variables have an impact on eating quality.
However, the f lip side is that with such a uni- form production system we found there are no real standout or premium pork cuts identified by consum- ers.
The research also con- firmed there are three major areas of consumer dissatisfaction or potential failure with pork; they in- clude smell and taste (the incidence of boar taint) and tenderness.
Tenderness is specifi- cally a problem for the loin, when grilled, and the silverside, when cooked any other way than as a stir-fry.
These three areas are our major opportunities for improvement and are important because they impact a customer’s will-
ingness to repurchase pork after a negative ex- perience.
These potential failure points are also reflected in the results of A PL’s annual consumer quality survey which identifies the tenderness of pork, es- pecially when grilled and smell and taste as the key negatives for pork.
This survey also high- lights external fat as an issue for some customers which is no surprise given a general consumer trend around healthy eating.
We are already seeing an increase in the number of chops, cutlets and steaks with fat and rind removed to address this change in consumer sentiment.
For now, we see this as a cut and fabrication option for supply chains and re- tailers, rather than a strict eating characteristics is- sue but it’s an area we will
continue to monitor.
Pork has the unique abil- ity to solve what you could describe as ‘naughty’ (in- dulgent) as well as ‘nice’ (healthy) meal needs as we have a range of cut and cook methods to suit
every occasion.
The opportunity going
forward is to turn this ver- satility into a competitive advantage for our industry.
Based on these findings APL are now reviewing several interventions to minimise or ideally elim- inate the identified fail- ure points, increasing the potential for consumers to have a positive eating experience with Austral- ian pork.
Our ultimate goal is to in- crease customer preference and purchase frequency for fresh Aussie pork.
Garry McAlister, APL Category Developement Manager
Ragazzini Pump hard at work.
Effective piggery waste sludge pump
MOVING some ani- mal waste sludge can be a difficult proposi- tion for pumps.
It can be thick and corrosive and is only a job for the right pump, according to industrial pump specialists, Hy- dro Innovations.
As the waste liquid gets thicker, it becomes much less efficient to use a centrifugal pump, but ideal for the right peristaltic pump says Garry Grant of Hydro Innovations.
“Our Ragazzini hose pumps can move thick piggery slurry com- fortably when sized correctly, and with the right tubular element,” Garry said.
The pumps use a roll- er on bearing method to ‘squeeze’ the tubu- lar element, creating a vacuum on the suction side, enabling pumps to operate on high suc- tion lifts.
The pumps are also capable of deliver- ing pressures up to 15 bar, enabling them to ‘push’ the sludge mat-
erial over high hills or through long pipe lines.
These pumps are fitted with a leak de- tection system which will stop the pump and send an alarm if the hose wears.
And it is not a messy or complicated hose change-over because the pump casing is not full of expensive lu- bricant.
The pumps have no seals or valves, can run dry without damage, and there is no contact between the pumped media and moving parts.
Ragazzini pumps are set up to run slowly to promote longer hose life and they are able to pump good size sol- ids.
Flows from just a few litres per minute up to 180m3/hour can be de- livered, depending on pump model.
More information on these pumps can be obtained from info@ HydroInnovations. com.au
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Page 18 – Australian Pork Newspaper, September 2019
www.porknews.com.au