Odor control management and thermal rendering biotechnology for poultry meat byproducts

Abstract

Increases in poultry processing and urban development tied to population growth have instigated critical strains on traditional technologies for managing or upgrading poultry meat byproducts. These strains have led to public outcry, widespread news coverage and legislative actions in major poultry processing states across the U.S., particularly from putrid odors of dissolved air flotation meat byproduct land application. Modern processing for meat byproducts involves two primary routes: land application as fertilizer or thermal rendering into valuable commodities such as for feed or bioenergy. With less available rural land, odor propagation has become a major environmental and health issue for land fertilization, while for thermal rendering, fundamental technological issues, such as moisture removal, limit expansion. These two challenges are interconnected in that reduced or stagnant rendering over decades has led to unsustainable land application levels. This dissertation considers new targeted technologies and a multi-discipline approach to resolve the overarching issue of meat byproduct management and valorization. New odor control management technologies are considered involving organic waste bio-filters and chemical treatment. Meanwhile, investigation of growth and properties of nutraceutical microbes on the largest waste stream of rendering (hydrolysate) aim to initiate a needed paradigm-change in rendering processes. These technologies intend to contribute towards the significant engineering advancements required to maintain sustainable meat processing for the future.