Determination of lean meat in pig carcasses with the Autofom classification system

A fully automatic classification equipment called Autofom for use at pig abattoirs has been developed and tested. It measures fat and meat depth in carcasses by use of ultrasound. Measurement with Autofom is very fast (measuring up to 1250 carcasses per hour). It is non-invasive and low maintenance costs can be expected due to lack of moving parts. The repeatability and reproducibility have been estimated. An equation for calculating lean meat percentage on the basis of Autofom measurements has been calculated. The accuracy of the equation, expressed by residual mean square error and by standard error of prediction, is 1.84 and 1.95, respectively. A functionality test shows that, when installed on-line at the abattoir, 99% of the carcasses can be classified by Autofom. The equipment will be a suitable alternative to automatic on-line determination of lean meat percentage in pig carcasses. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.