When choosing a commercial meat mincer, power and hourly output are usually the first specifications people consider. However, one of the most important considerations is the cutting system.
Many commercial meat mincers use either an Enterprise or an Unger cutting system. Both systems use a feed screw to move the meat towards a cutting set made up of rotating knives and a plate. However, an Enterprise system has a single cutting stage, while an Unger system can utilise several cutting components.
Understanding the difference allows you to choose a mincer that matches the type of meat you process, the texture you need to achieve, and your overall production volume.
Before comparing the Enterprise and Unger systems, it helps to understand the basic mechanical process of a mincer:
- Meat or trimmings are fed into the hopper and enter the mincing head.
- A rotating feed screw (auger) pushes the meat towards the end of the barrel.
- A rotating knife cuts the meat against a stationary perforated plate.
- The meat is forced through the plate holes.
Enterprise and Unger do not describe different types of mincers. They specifically describe the cutting arrangement located at the end of the feed screw.
What Is an Enterprise Cutting System?
The Enterprise cutting system is the simpler of the two cutting arrangements. A typical Enterprise cutting set consists of three essential components:
Feed Screw ➔ Knife ➔ Mincer Plate
In this setup, the Enterprise knife cuts against one face of the perforated plate. This creates a single cutting stage before the meat leaves the machine. Due to using a one-knife, one-plate system, it is often referred to as a "single-cut" arrangement.
Advantages of Enterprise
- Simplicity: A relatively simple cutting arrangement with fewer components to assemble, remove, and clean.
- Simple plate change: Straightforward to change when a different finished particle size (e.g., swapping a 5mm plate for an 8mm plate) is required.
- Fresh meat suitability: Excellent suitability for ordinary fresh-meat mincing.
Commercial machinery sizes for this system typically include Enterprise 12, 22, and 32.
Where Enterprise Makes Sense
Enterprise systems are ideal for:
- Traditional butcher shops producing ordinary retail mince.
- Producing mince for burgers and other prepared-meat products.
- Restaurants and catering kitchens predominantly processing trimmed fresh meat.
- Operations that do not require progressive, ultra-fine mincing in a single pass.
What Is an Unger Cutting System?
The Unger system allows for additional cutting stages inside the same mincing head, making it a more complex and versatile arrangement.
A common double-cut Unger arrangement can have more components:
Pre-Cutter (Kidney Plate) ➔ First Knife ➔ Intermediate Plate ➔ Second Knife ➔ Final Plate
Although Unger systems are usually multi-stage, Mainca does have single-, double-, and triple-cut machines available.
In this system, the product is progressively reduced in size as it travels through the head, rather than relying on a single knife/plate interface.
Benefits of Unger
Instead of mincing tough meat coarsely and then returning it to the hopper for a second pass, an appropriately configured Unger system can perform multiple size reductions during a single journey through the mincer.
This progressive reduction is highly beneficial when:
- A finer or more uniform mince is required.
- The raw material contains more connective tissue.
- The product would otherwise require more than one pass through a single-cut machine.
- The mince will undergo further processing, such as sausage or prepared-meat production.
Terminology varies significantly between manufacturers. Mainca describes its Unger systems as capable of "single, double, and triple cuts," while other manufacturers use terms like "Unger 3," "Unger 5," "half Unger," or "full Unger". Always check the manufacturer's specified cutting-set arrangement rather than relying on the system name alone.
Does the Cutting System Affect Meat Quality?
The condition of your cutting system directly impacts meat quality. There is a vast difference between a clean cut and a smear.
Sharp knives making correct contact with properly maintained plates produce a clean cutting action. However, worn or poorly matched components in either system can lead to:
- Smearing of fats.
- Poor particle definition.
- Product drag and reduced output.
- Increased cutting resistance and machine load.
- Unwanted temperature increases in the meat.
Sharp knives making correct contact with properly maintained plates produce a clean cutting action. As knives and plates become blunt, grooved or incorrectly matched, the meat may begin to smear rather than cut cleanly. This can result in poorer particle definition, reduced output, increased cutting resistance and unwanted temperature rise.
A multi-stage Unger arrangement may reduce the need to pass the product through the mincer a second time. However, meat temperature still depends on factors including the condition and adjustment of the cutting set, the starting temperature of the meat, machine design, and the overall workload.
Which System Is Better for Different Products?
- Fresh mince and burgers: An Enterprise system will often be perfectly suitable when processing good-quality fresh meat to a straightforward coarse or medium texture.
- Sausages and prepared meats: An Unger system can be useful where the production process calls for progressive size reduction or a consistently fine mince before mixing, seasoning, or further processing.
- Meat containing connective tissue: Multiple cutting stages can be helpful with more difficult or fibrous raw material. Industry sources specifically associate Unger systems with harder-to-process meat and progressive cutting.
- Large-scale production: Higher-output professional and industrial machines frequently use Unger systems, particularly as mincer head size and production requirements increase.
Enterprise and Unger Sizes Explained
When reviewing commercial mincers, you will see designations like Enterprise 22, Enterprise 32, Unger 82, and Unger 98. These numbers indicate cutting-system/head sizes, not kilograms per hour.
Within Mainca's range, machines are named according to the cutting system fitted. For example, the PC82/22 is available as Unger 82 or Enterprise 22, while the PC98/32 can be supplied as Unger 98 or Enterprise 32. Unger 114 is used on Mainca's larger, higher-output PC114 and PC114L machines.
The number identifies the cutting-system/head size; it should not be interpreted as an hourly production figure.
Spare Part Suitability
Enterprise and Unger knives and plates are not automatically interchangeable. The shape, dimensions, central hub arrangement, and cutting surfaces must match the specific system and size of your machine.
At SMS Food, we stock components for both configurations:
- Enterprise 32 components: We stock the Salvador size 32 hubbed mincer plates in a range of hole diameters for compatible size 32 machines.
- Unger D114 components: For multi-stage systems, we supply Licoswiss Unger D114 Plates and Licoswiss Unger D114 Blades.
Which Cutting System Do You Need?
Enterprise and Unger systems ultimately perform the same basic task, but they approach the cutting process differently. Enterprise uses a straightforward single-cut arrangement, while an Unger system can use additional cutting stages to reduce the meat progressively before it leaves the machine.
For straightforward fresh-meat mincing, an Enterprise system may provide everything a butcher, restaurant, or commercial kitchen requires. Where progressive size reduction, more demanding raw materials or greater flexibility over the cutting arrangement is needed, an Unger system may be more appropriate.
The correct choice ultimately depends on the product you intend to make, the required finished texture, and your production process, not your desired output.