On-line measurement of intramuscular fat in hot lamb carcases

An imaging needle using an established medical technology has established a positive proof-of-concept to measure Intra Muscular Fat (IMF) percentage in an un-cut lamb carcase. Intramuscular fat contributes positively to the juiciness and flavour of lamb and is a useful indicator of eating quality. A current project is re-engineering the probe to be more robust, and to develop an initial automated image analysis algorithm, to enable further testing and development under commercial conditions. This project supports an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant to refine the pre-commercial prototype under development, validate the precision and accuracy of IMF measurement and release a prototype device to an early-adopter industry partner.