Respect for meat, careful monitoring of the right parameters, and constant supervision: this is how a customised approach has transformed the aging rooms at Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti.

The challenge

At the beginning of 2020, with the lockdown bringing operations to a standstill and an aging room full of meat, there was a real risk of the products becoming spoiled. Rather than “force” the pace, the company chose to go back to traditions, yet the help of technology: extending shelf life without accelerating aging, managing both temperature and humidity for longer-lasting quality and less waste.

The technical solution 

The Antica Macelleria Cecchini facility includes nine cold rooms where the meat is processed, from when it is received as sides, through to the cutting and packaging of the products sold to restaurants and shops. At the heart of the process are two aging rooms, where the halves are stored for at least 20 days at controlled temperature and humidity, thus reducing their moisture content slowly and uniformly, without the formation of a surface “crust” that would block evaporation from the core.
To ensure stable and repeatable conditions, the installer Merenti Refrigerazione created an integrated aging room control system that coordinates cooling, dehumidification and reheating, working in sync with the evaporator to allow natural dehumidification. The control logic manages the two key parameters (T and RH) in combination, based on a series of temperature and humidity probe readings. System management includes defrosting and ventilation, as well as reading condensing unit alarms, so that all the information is available directly on the aging room control panel.
To stabilise the ambient conditions when loading the aging room, special probes measure the temperature of the incoming sides: the controller thus automatically adjusts the set point when warmer goods enter the room, keeping both temperature and humidity stable. An electronic expansion valve allows tighter control of the refrigerant circuit and therefore better product preservation quality.

Local and remote supervision

In addition to control in the field, the solution also includes a central supervisor for medium-sized systems, with local and remote access. Alarms are sent in real time via instant messaging to both company and outside personnel, who can troubleshoot the system and plan maintenance even from hundreds of kilometres away. The architecture connects the two sites located on opposite sides of the road, integrating both the historic facility and the new extension via serial lines and gateways, with secure connections for complete monitoring.

The results for Antica Macelleria Cecchini

System sizing, installation, and fine-tuning to the creation of what Dario Cecchini calls a “dream room”: a system built to meet the real needs of the process; not a standard solution, but rather a system tailored to the company’s philosophy.
The results obtained include:

• Superior and consistent quality: stable temperature and humidity conditions throughout the aging cycle, with regular and uniform dehumidification profiles.
• Longer shelf life and less waste: longer shelf life and less spoilage, in line with the “zero waste” philosophy that values every part of the animal.
• Repeatable processes: control that adapts to the load (new halves) without sudden swings, ensuring the aging process is not excessively “sped up”.
• Operational efficiency: faster supervision and response to alarms, scheduled maintenance, and less unexpected downtime.

In the artisan’s own words

For Dario Cecchini, tradition means successful innovation: the goal is not to reduce aging times, but rather to “respect the meat” and improve its taste and smell with a longer and gentler aging process, even at the cost of weight loss that doesn’t maximise short-term profit. 
When control and supervision are designed around the product (and not the other way around), technology ceases to be an “end” and rather becomes a means to get the job done better. This is how excellent artisan processes find new life: not by leaving aside tradition, but rather by making it measurable, stable, and repeatable.

The contents of this blog post can be examined more in depth by reading the success story "Antica Macelleria Cecchini: respecting meat and preserving its quality"

Read the success story

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