The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1907. CHILLED BEEF.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2059, 10 December 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1907. CHILLED BEEF.

A new process in connection with the preservation of beef lias been placed on the English market, and appears like!v to play an important part in the meat trade of the world. At the present time' the United States derives considerable benefit by supplying the people of England with what is known as chilled beef. This is beef that has not been actually frozen, only lowered in temperature, and which upon arrival at its destination opens up, looking clear and bright, with none of the drawbacks in regard to appearance that ensue when the meat lias passed through the complete process of freezing. Unfortunately, however, for exporters, chilled beef will only keep for a limited period, and for this reason the United States, with its iiorts handy to those of England, is the only one of the meat-exporting countries that can land chilled beef oil the London market in large quantities. Argentine shippers send some chilled beef, but tlie result is frequently unsatisfactory, and the bulk of its beef is therefore frozen. With Australia and Now Zealand the voyage is so long that to send beef chilled would be simply to invite . disaster, and all our exports, therefore, have been frozen, -wiv a Mr. Linley has come forward with a process which enables beef that has been merely chilled to be preserved perfectly sound and free from mildew for fully six weeks. The patent lias been taken up by two of the largest meat firms in England, Weddell’s and Swift’s, and a trial shipment was recently made from tlie Argentine. The s.s. Guardiana carried 929 hindquarters and 100 fores of chilled beef from the La Plata works to London. The vessel was 20 days on route. In one of tlie chambers Mr. Linley’s plant was put- up; it does not take up much room, say, about 15 x 5 ft. The temperature on board varied from 301 to 32, mean 31J; the ordinary Plate chilled beef temperature in -carrying is 2Si to 29i, and frequently the meat turns .out cither a bit hard or mildewed. It is to escape- tin’s fault that file process has been brought out, in order to sterilise the surface of tlie beef from the start and prevent tlie formation of a fa-vorablo culture bed for mould spores, the great curse of chilled beef. This particular shipment was a great success, and the matter is of such importance to all meat-exporting countries that we ' quote the following report from tlie London correspondent of (the Pastoralisf s’ Review :

This particular shipment was really a great success. The beef was well distributed over Smitlifield, and both salesmen- and but-cbers. were •Ttafcly pleased with. it. Messrs. ii". lint sent so,me of theirs away into t-lie country. The beef cut firm and dry, .like-town-killed; there was no rrost'in it, no running -when cut. There was no odor, no tiint. As tills was only a trial shipment, it is not possible to establish a basis of cost; some say tlie extra • expense would mean about,.2s per quarter, say, Id -a stone. . ; .One favorable point is that- the West End butcher will be able to lung this meat in his shop front; Mr. Cridlam, one of the liigli-class retailers, had . some in liis shops. This process will be welcomed by the trade enthusiastically. Retailers will have their markets extended by several days; now they have to sell their prime joints of chilled South American beef right away. Chilled beef often gets very clammy in the flank; these “vaporised” flanks were as dry as town-killed. Of course, one cannot judge of the complete success of the process as indicating a radical new departure from one trial, but if such thoroughly good results -followed the first shipment there need not be much doubt. But we must remember that this experiment was conducted under ideal conditions.

As to -Australia and New Zealand, I have just heard that some of the Guardiana beef was marketed in perfectly sound state forty-seven days from loading. This is encouraging for Australasian shippers if at ally time it is desirable to try the process from your end. When chillin' was first tried we were told that ten days was the outside; this was extended to 30 to 40 days, and now to 47. It- is obvious that the beef to he used must be very high-class indeed, otherwise the venture would fail. And whether it would pay to fit up one vessel is doubtful; I presume there is not enough suitable stock in New Zealand to -go in for regular heavy shipments. This process is a very important matter, one of the landmarks in the

development of tlio export meat trade. A .v-alet-man mentioned that the meat being dry (tlie great drawback to the frozen and chilled -meat trade, not appreciated by shippers who have not been to Smitlifield, is the moisture pouring out of. tlie carcase when thawing), there will be ten buyers for 5000 quarters of vaporised beef where there were before five for 1000 quarters of ordinary chilled. This moat won’t fall in price so abysmally as does the “hall chilled half frozen” Plate beef called chilled, which must be sold, and is bound to bnvc a better average price, though it is, of course, impossible to guarantee 2d, or anything, at present, above chilled beef.

It will he seen from the foregoing that tlie Linley -process of preserving frozen meat is one -of the most notable events that have occurred in the trade, since refrigeration was first introduced. Moreover, a still larger question suggests itself. If beef can be so excellently treated by this method, why not anut-ton and lamb? The frozen meat trade lias proved immensely profitable to the Dominion, but it has its drawbacks, many of which- might bo removed by a new process, such as that described above.