Page 34 - FoodFocusThailand No.242 June 2026

SPECIAL
SPECIAL FOCUS FOCUS

SMART MEAT CUTTING TECHNOLOGIES:

ENHANCING EFFICIENCY AND PRECISION

ACROSS EVERY DIMENSION

Precision meat fabrication relies not only on skilled knife work, advanced cutting technologies, and modern
machinery, but also on upstream processes, where raw material design, sorting innovations, and breed
optimization are aligned with specific manufacturing processes and product requirements.

Amid a pivotal phase of industrial transformation, global the meat’s physical properties, such as firmness, elasticity,
protein demand continues to rise, even as labor costs increase, and shape retention, which in turn impact cutting precision
food safety regulations tighten, and efficiency pressures mount. and yield.
As a result, improving manufacturing efficiency is no longer If temperature deviates from established standards, it can
optional but has become a key prerequisite for participation lead to quality issues, including inconsistent cuts, increased
in modern global trade. One process directly affected is meat meat loss, and downstream product defects. These factors
fabrication, which can generate both value and loss under demonstrate that cutting precision depends not only on
conventional, labor-intensive methods and is now increasingly machinery but also on the effective control of environmental
being transformed by advanced technologies. conditions throughout the production process.

Limitations of Manual Meat Fabrication Smart and Contactless Innovations for
Although manual cutting retains advantages such as flexibility, Precision Cutting
low cost, and adaptability to variable raw materials, it is Methods include knife and saw cutting, as well as automated
constrained by inconsistent quality, heavy reliance on individual mechanical systems, such as portion cutters and dicers, which
skill, increased meat loss, and elevated workplace safety risks. deliver greater consistency in cutting.
In contrast, automated cutting reduces reliance on human The meat and poultry industries are increasingly adopting
labor, increases processing speed, and ensures consistent advanced technologies, such as contactless, water jet, and
production standards. However, it also presents drawbacks, ultrasonic cutting, to reduce contamination risks and achieve
including higher costs, reduced flexibility when handling diverse smoother cut surfaces. At the same time, automated and
raw materials, limited ability to handle carcass variability, and smart cutting systems integrate machine vision and AI to
complex integration with existing systems. No single system analyze meat geometry in 3D and precisely identify optimal
is perfect, and no one technology can address all challenges; cutting points.
therefore, combining solutions tailored to different raw
materials, processes, and business objectives is essential to Market-Driven Solutions for
maximize overall effectiveness. Manufacturing Challenges
Although these innovations significantly improve efficiency
Meat Fabrication Temperature: and precision, relying solely on technology cannot resolve all
An Often-Overlooked Key Factor manufacturing challenges. For example, Betagro collaborated
Another key factor influencing cutting quality and efficiency is with Cooperl, a partner specializing in the Pietrain pig breed.
temperature control, which applies to the meat, equipment, Rather than asking, “How can we cut meat more efficiently?”,
and processing environment. Temperature directly affects Cooperl reframed the question: “What do consumers,
clients, and end partners truly want?
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