MACSYS

Development of an objective method to perform quality classification of comminuted poultry meat

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Deboning of meat is an important technology to improve yield and sustainability of meat production. But mechanically separated meat (MSM) is generally considered to be of inferior quality, and its use is subject to strict regulations. In contrast, manually separated meat is accepted as regular meat, and not subject to the same restrictions. But development of the technology for mechanical processes of meat-bone separation today makes it possible to produce a meat raw material that cannot be distinguished from regular meat mince. There are no objective reasons to classify all MSM as boing of inferior quality. EU regulations, however, still differ between MSM and meat strictly based on production method. MACSYS will address a major market opportunity for the SMEs consortium through the development of new efficient and objective solutions for the quality classification of comminuted poultry meat related directly to quality traits. A spectroscopy and/or impedance-based fast-track system will be developed to monitor meat quality in processing lines. Software for an automatic image analysis assessment of meat quality will be developed, based on a commonly accepted histochemical method. The MACSYS results represent a new solution to which there are currently no alternatives. The project will have significant impact in many areas: (1) For food laboratories and inspection services - the automated analysis system can be established as the new common method in the EU for meat quality assessment, saving costs due to a fast, objective analysis; (2) Poultry meat industry - the fast-track method can be used to perform in-line quality tests and to increase the market value of meat products (a significant amount of MSM has potential to be classified as meat); (3) Meat processing equipment manufacturers - the fast-track method can be integrated into the production line and add value to the existing equipment, through the possibility of performing in-line meat quality classification.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An automated meat quality assessment method may add value to mechanically deboned meat products, by re-classifying them according to their quality.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Processed meat products such as cold meats, burgers and sausages are often made from mechanically separated meat. This entails forcing pureed or ground meat under high pressure through a sieve to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue.

Due to the perceived inferior quality of mechanically separated meat compared with manually deboned meat, it is subject to stricter legislation. However, the latest mechanical separation methods can produce meat that is indistinguishable from its manually separated counterpart.

The EU-funded http://macsysproject.eu (MACSYS) (Development of an objective method to perform quality classification of comminuted poultry meat) project aims to develop a method for classifying meat based on quality rather than its deboning method. MACSYS is creating a rapid system to objectively monitor meat quality in processing lines, regardless of how the minced meat is produced.

Researchers will quantify muscle structure degradation using an automated image analysis system combined with cloud-based software to measure meat quality. In addition, they are developing sensors at production sites that monitor other important quality traits of the meat.

MACSYS's novel automated analysis system will be useful for EU food laboratories and inspection services interested in saving costs and time while assessing meat quality. Meat-processing equipment manufacturers will also benefit by integrating the fast-track method into their production line, adding value to their equipment by enabling in-line meat classification.