IFFA 2019

•••9••• Innovationen A non-destructive alternative Scientists from University of Extremadura use magnetic resonance imaging for meat quality control They use the same technology, based on the non-invasive use of magnets and radio waves, for something very different: to know the characteristics of Ibe- rian hams and loins without need to destroy them. Once the images are taken, the scientists analyse them with com- puter vision algorithms and ex- tract numerical values on which, in turn, they apply statistical methods. In this way, the quality characteristics of meat products can be predicted. “The technique allows knowing parameters such as the amount of fat, moisture, colour and some sensory attributes of the product; and in the case of ham, also moni- toring the salt diffusion during the different stages of the matu- ration process,” explains Trinidad Pérez Palacios, a member of IPro- Car – the Meat and Meat Products Institute – of the University of Ex- tremadura. Three-dimensional MRI images The studies carried out with this methodology have been pub- lished in several scientific jour- nals, such as the Journal of Food Engineering, where this year Ex- tremadura researchers have pre- sented a paper focused on the application of texture algorithms to three-dimensional MRI images to predict the quality of the loins. According to the authors, the com- bined MRI-computer vision tech- nology is an alternative to the de- structive quality control methods currently used, as well as offering results in almost real time. “We put at the disposal of the meat industry an effective method to obtain images of any meat piece – not only loins and hams – in a harmless and non-invasive way, al- lowing, in addition, its subsequent commercialisation,” Pérez Palacios points out, concluding: “Its imple- mentation in the meat industry is only a matter of time.” Images of a raw and cured ham obtained with MRI technology Photo: TECAL-GIM (UEx) Continued from page 1 WE DON’T MAKE FOOD WE MAKE FOOD-MAKING BETTER 4TH - 9TH MAY 2019 VISIT US IN HALL 9.0 STAND E41 GROTE COMPANY MANUFACTURES RELIABLE, TOP QUALITY FOOD SLICING AND ASSEMBLY EQUIPMENT www.grotecompany.com