Meat Processing Antimicrobial Delivery Through Percussive Stunning Wounds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing meat processing methods fail to address pathogens present internally in animals, such as Salmonella in the gut or lymphatic system, which can contaminate meat products.
Innovation Solution
Administer an antimicrobial treatment by stunning the animal with a percussive blow to the skull using a device with a percussive head, delivering the treatment composition internally through the stun wound, leveraging the animal's circulatory system to distribute it to organs, muscles, and lymphatic tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If surface treatment techniques are employed to reduce pathogens on meat surface, then pathogen reduction on surface is improved, but internal pathogens in lymphatic system and gut are not addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the animal's own circulatory system as an intermediary to deliver the antimicrobial composition internally. The stunned animal's circulating blood and lymphatic fluids act as the transport medium, carrying the antimicrobial from the injection site to internal tissues and organs, thereby addressing internal pathogens that surface treatments cannot reach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent leverages the hydraulic flow of blood and lymphatic fluids through the animal's circulatory system to distribute the antimicrobial composition. The natural fluid dynamics of the living animal's circulatory system serve as the delivery mechanism, transporting the treatment to internal tissues without requiring additional mechanical pumping or distribution systems.
2Reliability
If antimicrobial is applied to stunned animal through concussive blow site, then internal tissue delivery is improved, but time available for distribution is limited to 2-10 minutes
Solution Approach 1:
The stunned animal's own circulatory system performs the work of distributing the antimicrobial composition throughout the body. The natural cardiac and lymphatic pump functions continue operating for 2-10 minutes after stunning, automatically propelling the antimicrobial-infused fluids through the circulatory system to reach internal tissues without requiring external intervention or additional time.
Solution Approach 2:
The antimicrobial composition is applied to the injection site before the animal's circulatory system ceases function. This preliminary application ensures that the antimicrobial is already in position to be picked up and distributed by the circulating fluids during the remaining 2-10 minute window, maximizing the utilization of the available time for internal delivery.
3Extent of automation
If percussive stunning device is used to deliver concussive blow, then animal stunning is achieved, but skin and skull penetration creates wound through which antimicrobial is delivered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of the percussive wound created during stunning into a beneficial delivery pathway. The same concussive blow that stuns the animal also creates an open channel through the skin and skull, which is then utilized to inject and deliver the antimicrobial composition directly into the animal's internal tissues and circulatory system, turning a harmful byproduct into the primary delivery mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively delivers antimicrobials to internal tissues within the short time frame of commercial meat processing, reducing the risk of pathogen contamination in meat products.
Implementation Method 1
stunning an animal by striking a site on an animal skull with a device having a percussive head configured to deliver a concussive blow to the site
Implementation Method 2
the flow of fluids through the circulatory system delivers the antimicrobial to various tissues of the body, such as organs, muscles and components of the lymphatic system. While not being bound by theory, it is believed that the fluids of the circulatory system that deliver the antimicrobial include blood and/or lymph fluid.
Data Source
AI summary
An antimicrobial treatment is administered to an animal in a meat processing operation by stunning an animal by striking a site on an animal skull with a device having a percussive head configured to deliver a concussive blow to the site, and applying an antimicrobial treatment composition to the site before, during or after delivering the concussive blow to the site, In an aspect, an antimicrobial treatment is administered to the lymphatic system of an animal in a meat processing operation by stunning an animal by striking a site on an animal skull with a device having a percussive head configured to deliver a concussive blow to the site, and applying an antimicrobial treatment composition to the site before, during or after delivering the concussive blow to the site.