In a slaughterhouse, animals must be bled well to avoid contamination or degradation of meat. In meat packing facilities today, meat processors normally cut the aortic artery of an animal, letting blood drain from the chest or neck area. The final beats of the heart pump out much of the blood.

In stark contrast, the rinse and chill technique, or R&CT, technology patented by Meat Processing Services Corporation (see story above) involves sending a water-based solution of natural ingredients, approved by the FDA/USDA for fresh beef, through the blood circulation system of newly slaughtered animals.

The rinsing solution, water containing dilute concentrations of saccharides, salts, phosphates and other substrates -- all natural components of blood -- is formulated in an environmentally controlled room. Once sterilized through microfiltering and ultraviolet light, the solution is delivered to the killing floor through pipes and hoses.

Using a sanitized knife, a technician makes one incision from the jugular furrow to the chest, and another incision exposing the trachea. A second technician makes a small slit parallel with the carotid artery and severs both exposed jugulars.

Inserting a sanitized catheter, the technicians are able to rinse out all an animal's blood through its own circulatory system, leaving the system virtually empty and free of residual blood.

MPSC tests have demonstrated that R&CT optimizes the traditional system of draining blood: