Rapid method for determining water-holding capacity in meat using video image analysis and simple formulae

Area of Science:

• Food science and technology
• Meat science
• Analytical chemistry

Background:

• Accurate measurement of meat water-holding capacity (WHC) is crucial for quality assessment.
• Traditional methods for WHC determination can be time-consuming and operator-dependent.
• The press method is a common technique, but its efficiency can be improved.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a rapid and efficient method for measuring meat WHC using video image analysis (VIA).
• To assess the feasibility of VIA for analyzing fresh and cooked meat samples.
• To correlate VIA measurements with conventional WHC determination methods.

Main Methods:

• Investigated video image analysis (VIA) and formulae to accelerate WHC measurement by the press method.
• Applied VIA to analyze meat and meat liquid areas on filter paper for various fresh meat types (beef, pork, chicken, duck).
• Assessed the impact of filter paper drying on meat and liquid areas and their ratio.

Main Results:

• VIA demonstrated high repeatability and reduced operator variation compared to planimetry.
• VIA accurately measured meat and liquid areas on filter paper for fresh and cooked meats without manual outlining.
• A strong correlation (P < 0.01, r = 0.92) was found between the meat/liquid area ratio from VIA and conventional WHC measurements.

Conclusions:

• VIA combined with the meat/liquid area ratio provides a rapid, stable, and efficient technique for WHC measurement via the press method.
• This VIA-based approach significantly accelerates WHC assessment compared to traditional methods.
• The technique is applicable to a wide range of meat types and cooking conditions.