PREDICTING QUALITY OF MEAT AND/OR MEAT YIELD OF AN ANIMAL CARCASS

摘要

An image analysis system and method for grading of meat, predicting quality of meat and/or predicting meat yield of an animal. One aspect of the invention captures an image of the 12th rib cross section of the ribeye and perform an image analysis of the ribeye for grading purposes. The image capture camera portion 100 of the system has a wedged shaped camera housing 106 for ease of insertion into the ribbed incision. The image capturing portion 100 of the system further comprises a camera with a flash for consistent lighting. The camera is positioned such that it views the ribeye cross section at an angle to accommodate the wedge shape of the camera housing 106. The camera housing also has various alignment means 104, 108 to facilitate the user's ability to capture images in a consistent manner. Once the image is captured, an image analysis is performed on the image to determine parameters such as the percentage lean, total area of the ribeye, total fat area, total lean area, percent marbling, and thickness of fat adjacent to the ribeye, and other parameters. These parameters are used to predict value determining traits of the carcass.