Bettcher Industries and Beratung-Verkauf-Service have signed an agreement to manufacture and distribute a series of unique products designed to trim, vacuum away and hold BSE risk material from beef.

The Whizard TrimVac is the first such product to be introduced from the American-German partnership. The device is said to reduce the potential risk factors associated with the removal of BSE material in the processing of beef. The Whizard TrimVac was first unveiled at the MATIC industry convention in Paris, France on November 19, 2002.

After the beef carcass is split, the TrimVac is used to dislodge, cut and vacuum away spinal marrow and spinal membrane (BSE risk material) from the halved spinal canal to a separate holding tank, from which it can be properly disposed.

The venture claims that this method is superior and safer to traditional methods of removing spinal tissue by hand, grinding, or by vacuum suction alone.

The equipment makes a cylindrical cut along the spinal column -including the spinal ganglia -while the risk material is vacuumed away.

According to Bettcher and BVS officials, the combination of precisely cutting along the spinal column and evacuating risk material is emerging as the preferred methodology in several European countries, including France and Germany.

Established in 1944, Bettcher Industries brings over fifty years of innovation to the food processing industry. The company is a leading worldwide developer and manufacturer of innovative precision cutting tools for food processing and industrial applications.

Based in the United States, Bettcher Industries is an ISO 9001-certified company with direct distribution and service in more than 40 countries throughout the world. BVS has been the leader in vacuum suction removal devises for the meat processing industry for over 10 years and holds several unique patents in this area.