Meat+Poultry - January 2024 - 28

COVER STORY
products on racks; fermenting and drying
for 12 to 56 days; peeling and packing bulk
products, which requires about two days; and
slicking and packaging non-bulk products.
High-volume pepperoni production in the
United States is the norm, and something Zuffo
has grown to respect, especially given the high
level of demand for the product as a pizza
topping in the United States.
" The scale of production that is done in
the US would be impossible to do in Italy;
impossible in Brazil; impossible in Australia.
Impossible, " Zuffo said.
AUTOMATING ACTION
The six AGVs that traverse the plant transport
multi-story tall racks of products from one
aging and drying area to the next. They were
supplied by Proxaut, an Italy-based subsidiary
of Elgin, Ill.-based Middleby Corp. While
the AGVs might get the most attention as an
automation solution, Machetta demonstrated
how simple solutions can also solve many
problems even in a plant with production that
is as sophisticated and diversified as Principe's.
" This is a Torfresma box former; very
simple. You just set the box on, fold in the
bottom flaps and it puts the tape on, and it'll
convey up [to the overhead packing area of the
plant], " Machetta said. " The box will be filled
with pepperoni after it is sliced in [the plant's]
upper level. It comes back through; we close
the top and we're done. "
Joe Machetta (left) and
Vicente Zuffo are proud
of the partnerships that
made the concept of a
new Italian meats plant a
reality in Columbia, Mo.
CT butts that is stuffed in an artificial casing,
dry cured and served in thin slices), speck
(seasoned, smoked prosciutto), prosciutto,
salami, pepperoni and pancetta (Italian bacon).
The majority of the plant's production is for
salami and pepperoni, followed by prosciutto,
coppa and pancetta. All of the products except
for speck are currently processed at the plant
and all the pork is sourced from the company's
vertically integrated suppply chain.
Zuffo said R&D development for speck is
still being finalized, but the equipment needed
to produce it is ready and waiting. He expects
it to be in production by 2025.
Production of Principe's salami and
pepperoni products on a large scale at the new
plant includes: one day of preparing the raw
meat and spices; grinding the meat, blending
it with the correct mix of spices and stuffing
casings with the mixture before loading the
28 MEAT+POULTRY | 01.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
All of the air control for the entire plant,
including the drying rooms, are installed in an
interstitial area well above the ceiling of the
processing area.
There are 28 drying rooms, 14 dedicated
for prosciutto, each with a control system to
maintain airflow, temperature and humidity
and are monitored by engineers in a room
teeming with monitoring technology designed
to precisely move thousands of pounds of
prosciutto and salami from one aging area to
the next.
Two sizes of presses are used for prosciutto
- they are formed in a warm state and then
chilled. Depending on the product (white label,
red label, blue label or black) prosciutto is
aged either 14 months for the white label, 16
months for the red, 18 months for the black
label or 20 months for blue, which is the most
premium prosciutto.
Joel Crews/Sosland Publishing Co.
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - January 2024

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