Meat quality classification An automated meat quality assessment method may add value to mechanically deboned meat products, by re-classifying them according to their quality. Industrial Technologies Health © BWFolsom, Thinkstock Processed meat products such as cold cuts, burgers and sausages are often made from mechanically separated meat. This is meat recovered from carcasses where primary cuts have already been removed, by use of pressure to separate meat and bones. 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 MACSYS (Development of an objective method to perform quality classification of comminuted poultry meat) project developed a method for classifying meat based on quality rather than its deboning method. MACSYS created a rapid system to objectively monitor meat quality in processing lines of broilers, regardless of how the meat is produced. Researchers quantified muscle structure degradation using an automated image analysis system combined with cloud-based software to measure meat quality. In addition, they developed 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. The MACSYS project’s new method was presented to the industry during a CEN workshop in Brussels in March 2016. This was the first of a number of meetings that may lead to a change in legislation – to set threshold values to allow differentiation between quality groups of mechanically separated meat. A project video about quality of poultry MSM is available online. Keywords Meat quality, quality assessment, deboned meat, mechanically separated meat, poultry meat
