Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** meat and meat products have…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** meat and meat products have become an increasingly important part of the daily diet for people in the U.S. And around the world. With greater demand comes a need for greater production efficiency in the face of worker shortages, a problem highlighted during the covid-19 pandemic. Visual inspection is an important part of meat processing for ensuring quality and food safety. However, visual inspection, e.g., for FAT content estimation, is approximate and may contain meat with a wide range of FAT content. The ground meat from each batch is then tested with core samples and adjusted to reach the desired lean-to-FAT ratio, leading to delays, stoppage of work and wastage. The off-line inspection tools are also expensive. This project addresses the challenge of improving inspection efficiency for FAT content estimation using technology that is affordable by small and medium size meat processors. We will work closely with our meat processor partner to customize our optical image processing technology and install the prototype meat inspection tool at their plant. The tool will take images of the meat moving on a conveyor and estimate of the FAT content in real time so that the meat can be binned correctly. The ultimate goal is to improve quality, productivity and assure compliance with USDA regulatory requirements for meat processors while reducing wastage, using technology that is inexpensive and can be integrated seamlessly in small and medium size meat processing facilities leading to higher profitability.