water activity level in beef jerky

How to Measure Water Activity in Beef Jerky

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Beef jerky has become a staple product in the American diet.

According to research done by the Simmons National Customer Survey (NHCS) in 2019 and the U.S. Census, approximately 50% of the U.S. population, which is nearly 160 million people, eat meat snacks and beef jerky regularly.

This is mainly due to the taste, texture, convenience, and long shelf life of beef jerky.

One way to ensure your beef jerky is high-quality (taste, texture, long shelf life) and safe is by understanding and achieving the right water activity level.

We explain more below.

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Conveyor Maintenance

How to Schedule Maintenance for Longer Conveyor Life

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Conveyor systems are a big investment that requires regular and ongoing maintenance to ensure they run smoothly for years to come.

Most manufacturers provide instructions to inspect and maintain their conveyors. However, in most food processing facilities, those instructions get stuck in a drawer somewhere and are inaccessible to maintenance personnel.

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Vacuum Tumbler

2 Benefits of Diagonal Fins in a Tumbler

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Vacuum tumblers are an essential tool for many food processors and are used to coat and/or infuse protein products with functional and sensory-enhancing ingredients.

Their ability to achieve this task quickly and efficiently makes vacuum tumblers staple pieces of equipment in most food processing plants. Read more

meat scientist nick brown

Fusion Tech Welcomes New Smokehouse Technology Manager & Food Scientist

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Fusion Tech welcomes Nick Brown, Smokehouse Technology Manager and Food Scientist to the team.

Nick holds a Masters Degree in Meat Science from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, specializing in processed meats. He has worked as a food scientist in the cooked meats division for some of the world’s largest meat processing companies and learned under some of the best in the industry around thermal processing, product development, manufacturing, process control, and more.

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producing meat sticks

A Step-by-Step Guide to Producing Meat Sticks

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The popularity of producing meat sticks is on the rise.

According to NielsonIQ, processors sold $718M worth of meat sticks in the 52 weeks ending on August 28, 2021 – which was up 3.8% from the previous 52-week time frame.

That trend continues to rise, causing meat processors to consider adding meat sticks to their production lines.

The only problem: many small to medium-sized processors don’t know to effectively and efficiently produce meat snack sticks.
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Fusion Tech Makes a Donation To Rally for Reid

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Fusion Tech, a leading manufacturer of custom engineered food processing equipment and systems located in Roseville, Illinois, made a donation of $10,000 to the Rally for Reid. In addition, donations of $5,000 will be made to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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donation vote

2022 End of Year Donation Vote

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In 2017, we started a holiday tradition that has been a customer, employee, and community favorite.

Rather than send out Christmas cards that eventually get thrown away, we take the money we would spend on printing and postage, add some to it, and donate that money to a deserving, amazing charity.

Charities are helped. Trees are saved. And lives are changed.

The best part: we let our customers, employees, and local community vote on which charity receives the donation! Read more

band saw

Manual vs Automatic Band Saws: Which is Better?

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Meat band saws are an integral part of any portioning operation.

The ability to work with cuts of meat that are not uniform and hard to automate is why band saws are so popular.

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Vacuum Tumbler

Which Integrated Cooling System is Best for a Vacuum Tumbler?

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Investing in an integrated cooling system for your vacuum tumbler can seem overwhelming.

Do a quick Google search and you’ll find a number of optional cooling systems you can include when purchasing a tumbler.

Every manufacturer will tell you their system is best, but is it really?

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Smokehouse

6 Construction Aspects to Consider When Purchasing a Smokehouse

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The success of smoked meat products has significantly increased over the last few decades. As one of the oldest methods of food preservation, the smoked meat industry continues to grow as does the demand for dried and smoked protein products. For processors, that means that industrial smokehouses are becoming vital to their lifeline.

Yet industrial smokehouses are one of the biggest investments a processor can make. Making sure to understand what to look for before the buying stage is crucial to the longevity of the investment.

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