FDBusiness.com

With the increasing demand from consumers for thin cut steaks, Interfood Technology is highlighting the potential for automating the cutting process with the use of dedicated fresh meat portioning systems.

AHDB Beef & Lamb, the organisation that promotes beef and lamb in England, has conducted research with consumers and has now introduced a dedicated campaign to demonstrate the key opportunities that thin cut steaks provide for the retail and foodservice markets, from the snack and fast food sector to hotel/restaurant and retail Quick Meal options. The focus of the campaign is on the butchery techniques required to create a range of beef steaks developed from cuts which are traditionally only used for stewing or other slow-cook methods.

However, as Mark Bishop, Joint Managing Director of Interfood Technology, recognises, the potential for thin cut steaks is not confined to hand-cut methods: “Thin cut steaks are increasing in popularity for a number of reasons. They offer a leaner option for increasingly health conscious consumers, they are good value and for the busy lifestyles that are typical of modern living, they are quick to cook. As the sole distributor in the UK and Ireland of the TVI range of meat portioning systems, we can offer the capability to produce these so called ‘minute’ or ‘sandwich’ steaks via an automated process which ensures best presentation with maximum yield and minimum give-away.”

The TVI range features the GMS 500 singlecut and the GMS 1200 multicut which can portion all types of red meat. For thin cut beef steaks, for example, they can accommodate all types of cut, from sirloin and ribeye to silverside and thick flank. The rump steaks are the most impressive as this is traditionally a profile from which it is particularly difficult to maximise yield. Not so with the unique pressing-while-slicing from the gripper-less TVI system.

Richard Nethercot, Product Manager at Interfood responsible for the TVI range, comments: “We can achieve an exact thickness for the steak, with a minimum slice thickness of whatever is required by the customer – well within the five millimetre maximum specified for thin cut steaks.  The beef is pressed and sliced at the same time so it achieves a very consistent shape, with no gripper involved in the process to ensure higher yield. The machines are also highly versatile, with options available to shingle the steaks if required. And, we can achieve minimal or no trim – a real benefit in thin cut steaks where no fat or gristle is important in meeting the healthier option that these cuts offer.”

The TVI range is part of ‘Fresh Meat Portioning’, one of seven divisions through which Interfood offers a wide range of equipment, services and ingredients to many of the leading food processors throughout the UK and Ireland.

For further information contact www.interfoodtechnology.com.