Spectroscopy Unlocks Secrets to Pork

Researchers at McGill University in conjunction with Agriculture Canada and the pork industry have unveiled a new sophisticated new technique to determine which pieces of pork are the best in terms of quality, texture and how moist they are – information that has evaded even the best butchers up until now.

The revolutionary technique, which uses spectroscopy to measure the wavelengths of reflected light that is released by certain individual pork cuts, was discovered by researchers to accurately determine the color, texture and water release of the meat.

“This is about giving industry workers better tools to do their job,” said Michael Ngadi, a member of the research team at McGill’s Department of Bioresource Engineering. “Computer-aided analysis of meat will result in higher-quality jobs, optimal production and exports that fit more closely with the target markets.”

According to Ngadi, although this research is new, it won’t be long before it leaves the laboratory and enters factories around the world. In addition, researchers also hope to be able to use this method to evaluate other aspects of meat quality which include marbling as well as fat content.

“We are currently looking for partners who will work with us to build a ready-to-use device for a commercial production line,” said Ngati.