In the livestock and poultry slaughtering and processing industry chain, non-carcass components such as viscera, grease and bones are the core targets of resource-based treatment of livestock and poultry slaughter waste. Accounting for a considerable proportion of the live weight, such materials are not only key items under environmental governance control, but also utilizable resources that can be converted into meat and bone meal and industrial grease. Their accurate output is the core basis for slaughter enterprises to select processing equipment and calculate production capacity benefits.

I. Core Definition: Three Types of Components Constitute the Main Body of Livestock and Poultry Slaughter Waste

The industry generally refers to non-carcass parts after slaughter such as viscera, grease, bones and blood collectively as slaughter by-products. In scenarios of harmless and resource-based treatment, such materials requiring centralized disposal are all included in the governance scope of livestock and poultry slaughter waste. According to the slaughter industry guidelines of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the total amount of livestock and poultry slaughter by-products often exceeds 50% of the live weight. Among them, viscera, grease and bones are the three core components with the highest proportion, and also the main feedstock for high-temperature rendering processing equipment.

II. Reference Proportion of Each Component in Live Weight of Main Livestock and Poultry

There are significant differences in the physiological structure of different livestock and poultry categories, resulting in large differences in the component proportion of corresponding livestock and poultry slaughter waste. The following are the industry-general data of proportion in live weight:

• Hogs: Total by-products account for 25%~28% of live weight. Among them, separable grease (leaf fat, caul fat, etc.) accounts for about 9% of live weight, viscera (heart, liver, kidney, lung, gastrointestinal tract, etc.) accounts for 6%~8%, and bones account for 10%~12% of live weight.
• Beef cattle: Total by-products account for 38%~48% of live weight. Among them, separable fat accounts for 8%~11% of live weight, viscera (including digestive systems such as rumen) accounts for 10%~13% of live weight, and bones (including head and hoof bones) accounts for 15%~18% of live weight.
• Mutton sheep: Total by-products account for 48%~52% of live weight. Among them, fat accounts for 4%~6% of live weight, viscera accounts for 8%~10% of live weight, and bones account for 11%~13% of live weight.
• Poultry: Total by-products account for 30%~40% of live weight. Among them, grease accounts for 5%~7% of live weight, viscera accounts for 8%~10% of live weight, and bones account for 13%~15% of live weight.

III. Resource Utilization Attribute: Waste Is Also Utilizable Resource

This type of livestock and poultry slaughter waste is not useless waste. After processing through processes such as high-temperature rendering, degreasing pressing, sterilization and drying, high value-added products can be produced: grease can be refined into industrial oil and biodiesel raw materials; bone and viscera protein can be processed into meat and bone meal as supplementary raw material for feed protein, realizing the transformation of waste into treasure.

For slaughter enterprises, the selection of processing equipment needs to be combined with the main livestock and poultry categories and daily slaughter volume, and the daily processing scale shall be calculated according to the above component proportions, while meeting rigid requirements such as closed production and environmental compliance. With the resource-based upgrading of the domestic slaughter industry, the treatment of livestock and poultry slaughter waste has shifted from a compliance necessity to a benefit growth point. Professional harmless equipment adapted to multi-component and continuous processing is becoming the core configuration for modern slaughter enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Data Source Links

1. FAO Slaughterhouse Industry Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/f308144f-1b44-4dbb-aaca-9bbd2eaa6673/content/x6114e04.htm
2. USDA Study on Slaughter By-product Components (indexed in PMC academic database): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3614052/
3. FAO Meat Output Component Statistical Manual: https://www.fao.org/3/t0562e/T0562E08.htm