2025 Focus: Four Key Technologies Transforming the Poultry Processing Industry

1. Wearable Air Curtain: Strengthening the Health Shield for Employees

To address the pain point of preventing airborne diseases in poultry processing, the University of Michigan, in collaboration with Taza Aya, has developed a wearable air curtain device that revolutionizes proactive protection using non-thermal plasma technology. This device integrates an air purification system and an air curtain generation system into a portable backpack weighing less than 10 pounds (approximately 4.5 kg). The battery provides up to 4 hours of runtime and supports hot-swap replacement, ensuring continuous operation needs are met.

Compared to traditional face masks, this integrated helmet-mask device requires no facial contact—it avoids discomfort and breathing resistance while keeping employees’ faces clearly visible to facilitate smooth communication. Its core principle is to treat air with non-thermal plasma, forming a directed curtain of clean air that effectively blocks harmful microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria, providing round-the-clock protection for processing workers.

2. Visual Monitoring System: Breaking the Efficiency Bottleneck of Poultry Deboning Lines

Currently, manual and automated deboning lines for white meat process is up to 70 birds per minute, while automated dark meat lines exceed 90 birds per minute. However, real-time process monitoring technology has long been lacking. A visual monitoring system designed under the leadership of Dr. Wa-yne Daley, CEO of WDDLY Associates, fills this industry gap.

The system combines 2D imaging, 3D depth data technology, traditional detection methods, and machine learning algorithms to accurately assess the amount of meat remaining on products such as chicken legs and breasts after deboning. It supports flexible sensor expansion to adapt to different production scenarios. By continuously monitoring production performance and providing high-resolution real-time feedback, this technology effectively improves protein yield, reduces material waste, and drives the automation and refinement of the deboning process.

3. Microdroplet Cleaning Technology: Leading the Paradigm Shift in Poultry Processing Cleaning Methods

Amid the poultry processing industry’s trend toward green and efficient development, microdroplet cleaning technology is driving a paradigm shift in cleaning methods by breaking through the limitations of traditional chemical cleaning models. Its core advantage lies in completely eliminating reliance on chemical processing aids such as peracetic acid and chlorine, using only drinking water as the cleaning medium. This not only fully complies with the strict "drinking water only" processing standards of the European Union (EU) but also sets a new global benchmark for poultry cleaning technology.

From the perspective of technical principles and effectiveness, the technology generates high-speed microdroplets with super-strong cleaning power by precisely mixing compressed air and drinking water. Its core advantages are concentrated in three aspects:

First, a massive leap in cleaning kinetic energy. The cleaning kinetic energy of microdroplets is 50 to 100 times that of traditional cleaning methods. This means the cleaning effect per gallon of water is significantly enhanced, improving cleaning efficiency while achieving efficient use of water resources.

Second, microdroplet characteristics meet deep cleaning needs. The generated microdroplets have a diameter of only 5 to 25 microns, far smaller than the 250 to 500 microns of conventional cleaning water droplets. Their tiny particle size allows them to easily penetrate the fine pores of poultry carcasses—such as skin pores or feather follicles, areas that are difficult to reach with traditional cleaning methods—achieving more thorough cleaning at the source.

Third, high-speed flow enhances cleaning power. With the assistance of compressed air, the flow speed of microdroplets can soar to 560 miles per hour, a rate far exceeding the 75 miles per hour of water flow alone. This high-speed impact further improves the ability to remove surface and deep-seated dirt and microorganisms from poultry carcasses, ensuring more stable and thorough cleaning results.

This technical approach, which replaces chemical cleaning with physical cleaning, not only avoids food safety risks caused by residual chemical additives but also aligns with the industry’s concept of sustainable development. It provides poultry processing enterprises with a new solution that balances cleaning efficiency, safety standards, and environmental protection needs.

4. SPI 4.0 Framework: Building a Sustainable Industry 4.0 Ecosystem

The "Sustainable Poultry Industry 4.0 (SPI 4.0)" framework, proposed by Dr. Amit Morey, Associate Professor in the Department of Poultry Science at Auburn University, integrates artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and cloud platforms to address long-standing industry pain points such as inefficient supply chains and data silos.

Centered on a range of cutting-edge sensing technologies, the framework includes microwave-based meat quality assessment, multi-modal sorting systems, hyperspectral imaging for biofilm detection, and Raman spectroscopy for rapid pathogen detection across the entire farm-to-table supply chain. Through real-time AI analysis and interactive data dashboards, these technologies achieve deep synergy, empowering processing enterprises to make timely, informed decisions in quality control, safety traceability, and production scheduling—driving the comprehensive transformation of the poultry industry toward intelligence and sustainability.

(Note: This article is compiled and published based on content from the feature report in International Poultry Sep/Oct 2025 Issue (No. 125), and the copyright belongs to the original author.)