Optical methods and techniques for meat quality inspection

Abstract

Meat and meat products are closely associated with the daily eating habits of people around the world. Quality monitoring of meat and meat products is essential to ensure public health. In recent years, the meat industry has employed state-of-the art, high-speed processing technology, and meat processors need rapid, non-destructive, easy-to-use technology to monitor the safety and quality of meats and meat products for economic benefit. Optical technology has been gaining importance in research and industrial applications for real-time, non-destructive, accurate measurement of the quality attributes of meat and meat products. Hyperspectral imaging, multispectral imaging, visible-near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy, and machine vision are used in research and industry for detection of the physical, chemical, sensory, and microbiological attributes of meat and meat products. These optical technologies have shown potential for accurate detection of individual attributes as well as multiple attributes simultaneously. This article reviews these optical technologies for detecting the quality attributes of meat (especially beef, pork, lamb, and poultry). This article also discusses the prevailing challenges for practical application of optical technologies and future research prospects.