For bacon, it’s important that brine is both evenly injected and distributed, or you might have a problem when slicing later in the process. This is also important in terms of shelf life. You get better dispersion of the nitrate salts, and better, faster colouring, as well. Again, the less pressure you need to use, the easier it will equalise within the product. Wim Sturm: The brine distribution is optimised, in comparison to conventional methods, because of the short distance you need to cover between the two needles. If you inject with high pressures, you are disturbing the meat fibres, so the lower you can keep this pressure, the less damage you will do, and the better product you will get. This means that you can inject with lower pressures. We have an overlap pattern, and the distance, needle to needle for the 2mm injection, is approximately 7mm, which is very close. For more dense meats you need a stronger, more durable needle so you would swap to 3 or 4mm needles. Wim Sturm: The 2mm needles are typically used in tender meats such as poultry, tender beef, and pork products, as well as fish. OptiFlex needles are available in 2, 3, and 4mm diameter, and work in a close pattern. As OptiFlex needles bend, and return to their original shape, that is very unlikely to happen. If you have bent needles they could start breaking. Secondly, from a machine perspective, if you have bent needles, you start damaging your machine, such as the needle guide plates (stripper plate). Causing potential differences in product flavour, colouring, and microbiological product safety, affecting shelf life. If you inject with a bent needle, that needle might penetrate the same place so you are injecting double, which would mean your brine dispersion is not optimum. This is especially important for brine dispersion. So, that’s a major benefit for the product. If the needle is bent, when it goes down it will not inject in the same place that it should. When we look at the product, because the needle returns to its shape, it will always inject in the same position. First: the product that is being injected, second, the machine, and third, the operator.

Wim Sturm: There are three things to consider. Wim Sturm, Product Sales Manager at GEA Food Solutions

In comparison to similar needles in the same application, OptiFlex are between 40-60% more durable.

Since OptiFlex needles are more resistant to damage from bending, does this mean a longer operational life? Further, after extraction of the needle, it will return to its original shape. Our Optiflex needle will deflect it, and not harm the product. With standard regular stainless-steel needles, if the bend is too large, it stays in that position. Optiflex needles have ‘shape memory.’ When you are injecting, and specifically for boned products, the needle can be deflected from the bone, and you get a bend in the needle. Wim Sturm: What makes them unique is the patented metal alloy that is used. You describe GEA Optiflex needles as a “major step forward in injection quality.” How are Optiflex needles different? Here, Wim Sturm, Product Sales Manager at GEA Food Solutions, addresses the advantages for operators using OptiFlex. Please check your email to download the Whitepaper.

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