Gunther Injectors
Injection technology, which is the infusion of a brine, pickle, or marinade through means of a pump and needles to evenly distribute the ingredients throughout the cut of meat. This even ingredient distribution or ingredient dispersion attributes to improved tenderness, juiciness, and flavor development. Injection technology can be utilized by small, medium and large meat processors. Consistent brine or pickle injection helps improve yields throughout the injection, marination, tumbling, cooking or thermal process, blast chilling and in the storage cooler, decrease in package purge, and overall product quality and consumer acceptability.
Applications
Injection technology can be used in pork, beef, chicken, turkey, poultry, and fish meat products. Injectors offer a wide range of capabilities from very small batch injectors for small meat processors or locker plants to large industrial systems catered to a single product with inline processes. These injectors are designed with a rugged construction, compact design, high injection accuracy, easy operation, easy to maintain, high flexibility, and easy to clean.
Variations
The smaller injectors are direct drive and have few moving parts to reduce downtime and maintenance. The larger injectors are servo driven and are extremely flexible and allows the processor to change many variables to achieve maximum yield. These include contact and non-contact injection, one and two way injection, variable pump pressures, variable speeds of both injection head and conveyor belt, injection start and stop distance within the product. Also, the injectors have the option of heating and chilling the brine to maintain desired brine temperature during the process.
Cleaning and Maintenance
The machines are designed for easy cleaning and needle head change through a manifold style head system. This quick change allows for broken or clogged needles to be easily removed and replaced individually or as a complete unit. The needles are also retractable when injecting bone in product to minimize pickle pockets forming around the bone in the intermuscular space.
