Research & Development
Meat quality has been high on our Research & Development Department's agenda for many years. R&D is always looking for ways of defining the quality characteristics of the meat already in the slaughterhouse. One example is measuring the colour of the meat on the slaughter line. The meat can then be sorted right away on the basis of specific parameters and the measurements that have been taken Other criteria are the meat's pH value and drip percentage. The new quality measuring and automatic sorting method enables us to better standardise and differentiate products, and better tailor them to our clients' specific wishes.
VION supplies ‘low-salt’ products
VION Food Netherlands is a major producer of bacon for the UK. Bacon is a salted product. The importance of moderate salt intake through our food is widely known. That is why the VION R&D Department has looked into solutions to lower the salt content in bacon without compromising on taste and quality. This has resulted in the salt content of standard retail bacon being reduced from 3.8 to 2.88%, and a low-salt variety has been developed that contains only 1.8% salt (which is a reduction of over 50%!).
Innovative meatball: Biobal
VION launched a completely new product at the Horecava 2010 hospitality fair: the organic, cooked meatball. This product (110 grams) is made from organic beef and pork (80%) and plant fibres (20%). This meatball contains only 15.6 grams of fat, considerably less than a ‘normal’ meat ball. The product is primarily intended for the foodservice sector. This innovative meatball was initially produced for the ‘out of home’ market, but it is very likely that we will also be producing this product for household use.
© VION Food Group 2013