Compositions and methods for cleaning and decontaminating animal carcasses are disclosed. The compositions comprise a mud ball remover having a thioglycolate salt and a base and an antimicrobial agent effective to remove mud balls and reduce microbial contamination of a hide surface at ambient temperatures. The methods comprise cleaning and decontaminating an animal carcass by applying the disclosed compositions onto the surface of the animal carcass to soften and loosen foreign debris attached to the carcass followed by mechanically removing the foreign debris while preserving the integrity and quality of the hide byproduct and resulting leather articles.

Disclosed are embodiments of nanoparticle compositions, methods and systems for disinfecting animals and food products along the whole food provision chain. In one embodiment, a composition includes nonionic metal nanoparticles. The composition may be a spray, an oil, a solution or other appropriate composition for ingestion or application to food products. The silver nanoparticles maintain a stead MIC and do not exhibit microbial resistance as do conventional colloidal silver and silver nanoparticles made by chemical synthesis.

A method for processing an intact animal carcass comprises submerging a bled animal carcass in scalding water for at least 20 seconds to produce a scalded animal carcass, de-hairing the scalded animal carcass to produce a de-haired animal carcass, suspending the de-haired animal carcass, burning an epidermal layer of the de-haired animal carcass while suspended so that a majority of the epidermal layer is charred so as to produce a burnt animal carcass, pressure washing the burnt animal carcass to produce a pressure-washed animal carcass, eviscerating the pressure-washed animal carcass to produce an eviscerated animal carcass, internally washing the eviscerated animal carcass to produce an internally washed animal carcass, and chilling the internally washed animal carcass to a temperature of between 0 degrees Celsius and about 4 degrees Celsius to produce a chilled animal carcass.

A carcass washing cabinet having a plurality of spray arbors having a desired spray performance, which can rinse a carcass side with a reduced fluid flow rates through the spray arbors. The reduced fluid flow rates and increased pressure reduces volumes of water and/or other rinsing chemicals as well as by treating lower volumes of liquid waste that are generated by the carcass wash cabinets. Methods of rinsing carcasses with an apparatus having the plurality of arbors with high pressure nozzles and lower flow rates reduces water and/or chemical consumption without affecting microbial load reduction.

An apparatus and method for applying an antimicrobial agent to whole or split animal carcasses include a closed or essentially closed chamber for limiting the escape of antimicrobial agent to the environment during antimicrobial treatment of the carcass. In one embodiment, a series of carcass cabinet panels moves in line with the passing animal carcass and forms an enclosure around the carcass by means of panels closing ahead of and behind the carcass. In another embodiment, the direction and spray pattern of positively charged aerosolized antimicrobial particles in a carcass cabinet is controlled by attracting the particles to preselected negatively charged regions within the carcass cabinet.

A novel pig body scalding system, includes a scalding pool body. A separating fence in the middle of a scalding region in the scalding pool body divides the scalding region into a high-speed scalding and constant-speed scalding region; moreover, the two sides of the separating fence has a high-speed and a constant-speed scalding track corresponding to the to the high-speed and constant-speed scalding region respectively. The starting end of the high-speed scalding and that of the constant-speed scalding track can be connected with the same wobbling track, and wobbling track is located at the tail end of a pig body hanging track; an infrared thermometer and pressure sensor connected with a control system is provided below the pig body hanging track. The scalding system can perform targeted scalding on each pig body according to the condition of each pig body, thereby greatly reducing the influence of scalding on pork quality.

A chiller bath includes a tank for holding a volume of chiller water; a dosing system for dosing a first solution and a second solution into the chiller water, arranged to create a plurality of zones within the volume of water, wherein each zone has a higher concentration of either the first or the second solution than surrounding portions of the volume of water; and a meat or poultry immersion arrangement for immersing and moving carcasses in the chiller water. A method for reducing bacterial load on meat or poultry includes generating a plurality of zones within a chiller bath containing water by dosing a source of alkalinity and antimicrobial into the water, wherein the plurality of zones comprises at least one alkaline zone with a pH above 8.5, and at least one antimicrobial zone with pH below 8.5; and submersing meat or poultry in the bath. The zones can also be generated using spray nozzles in a meat or poultry operation.

A novel pig body scalding system, includes a scalding pool body. A separating fence in the middle of a scalding region in the scalding pool body divides the scalding region into a high-speed scalding and constant-speed scalding region; moreover, the two sides of the separating fence has a high-speed and a constant-speed scalding track corresponding to the to the high-speed and constant-speed scalding region respectively. The starting end of the high-speed scalding and that of the constant-speed scalding track can be connected with the same wobbling track, and wobbling track is located at the tail end of a pig body hanging track; an infrared thermometer and pressure sensor connected with a control system is provided below the pig body hanging track. The scalding system can perform targeted scalding on each pig body according to the condition of each pig body, thereby greatly reducing the influence of scalding on pork quality.

A carcass cleaning system. Specifically, a system for cleaning an animal carcass using potable water passed through an offline treatment system and the application of this treated water to the surface of the carcass, for example, by running through a bath or by spraying or nebulisation at or onto the surface of the carcass. The invention finds utility in the fields of butchery and slaughtering of animals in the preparation for sale as meat.

A method for automated cleaning of an immersion tank (14) includes: substantially enclosing an interior volume (30) of the immersion tank (14); increasing the temperature and humidity in the interior volume (30) of the immersion tank (14); then applying cleaning solution to interior surfaces of the immersion tank (14); and rinsing the cleaning solution and soil off the interior surfaces of the immersion tank (14).