Microwave sensing for an objective evaluation of meat ageing

Ultrawide band microwave system as a non-invasive technology to predict beef carcase fat depth

A portable ultra-wide band microwave system (MiS) coupled with an open-ended coaxial probe (OCP) or Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (VPA) was tested as a non-invasive objective measurement to predict beef carcase single site fat depth at commercial abattoirs. Experiment one tested the effectiveness of MiS coupled with a VPA. The VPA was used to predict hot carcase P8 (fat depth on the rump) across 4 slaughter groups (n = 241). The VPA was also used to predict cold carcase rib fat (at the quartering site, 75% along the rib eye muscle) across 5 slaughter groups (n = 598). Experiment two tested the ability of MiS coupled with OCP to measure hot carcase P8 across two slaughter groups (n = 435). A machine learning stacking ensemble method was used to create the prediction equations. Datasets were grouped by prediction trait (P8 or ribfat) and probe/antenna then randomly divided into 5 groups based on tissue depth. Precision was greatest using OCP to predict P8 fat depth with a RMSEP of 2.47 mm and R2 of 0.70. The VPA precision was similar for the two tissue depths assessed, hot carcase P8 had an average RMSEP of 2.86 mm and R2 of 0.58 compared to cold carcase rib fat RMSEP of 2.60 mm and R2 of 0.55.

A Microwave Ring-Resonator Sensor for Non-Invasive Assessment of Meat Aging

The assessment of moisture loss from meat during the aging period is a critical issue for the meat industry. In this article, a non-invasive microwave ring-resonator sensor is presented to evaluate the moisture content, or more precisely water holding capacity (WHC) of broiler meat over a four-week period. The developed sensor has shown significant changes in its resonance frequency and return loss due to reduction in WHC in the studied duration. The obtained results are also confirmed by physical measurements. Further, these results are evaluated using the Fricke model, which provides a good fit for electric circuit components in biological tissue. Significant changes were observed in membrane integrity, where the corresponding capacitance decreases 30% in the early aging (0D-7D) period. Similarly, the losses associated with intracellular and extracellular fluids exhibit changed up to 42% and 53%, respectively. Ultimately, empirical polynomial models are developed to predict the electrical component values for a better understanding of aging effects. The measured and calculated values are found to be in good agreement.

Non-invasive sensing for food reassurance

The main food quality traits of interest using non-invasive sensing techniques are sensory characteristics, chemical composition, physicochemical properties, health-protecting properties, nutritional characteristics and safety. A wide range of non-invasive sensing techniques, from optical, acoustical, electrical, to nuclear magnetic, X-ray, biosensor, microwave and terahertz, are organized according to physical principle.