On-line pork carcass grading with the Autofom ultrasound system

On-line pork carcass grading with the Autofom ultrasound system is described. The system consists of 16 ultrasound transducers positioned in a frame. The carcass is measured fully automatically at 3,200 positions to a depth of approximately 12 cm with a depth resolution of .19 mm. The ultrasound data form a three-dimensional ultrasound image, which is processed for noise reduction, orientation detection, and extraction of 127 features describing the carcass composition. The image features are used in a multivariate regression model, that is used for on-line predictions. On-line tests performed at line speeds up to 1,150 carcasses/h provide predictions of the meat percentage with an accuracy of 1.58 to 1.95%. Good predictions of the fat thickness and primal meat cuts have also been made.