Meat quality assessment using biophysical methods related to meat structure

This paper overviews the biophysical methods developed to gain access to meat structure information. The meat industry needs reliable meat quality information throughout the production process in order to guarantee high-quality meat products for consumers. Fast and non-invasive sensors will shortly be deployed, based on the development of biophysical methods for assessing meat structure. Reliable meat quality information (tenderness, flavour, juiciness, colour) can be provided by a number of different meat structure assessment either by means of mechanical (i.e., Warner-Bratzler shear force), optical (colour measurements, fluorescence) electrical probing or using ultrasonic measurements, electromagnetic waves, NMR, NIR, and so on. These measurements are often used to construct meat structure images that are fusioned and then processed via multi-image analysis, which needs appropriate processing methods. Quality traits related to mechanical properties are often better assessed by methods that take into account the natural anisotropy of meat due to its relatively linear myofibrillar structure. Biophysical methods of assessment can either measure meat component properties directly, or calculate them indirectly by using obvious correlations between one or several biophysical measurements and meat component properties. Taking these calculations and modelling the main relevant biophysical properties involved can help to improve our understanding of meat properties and thus of eating quality.