Optical probe for determining the fat/lean interface in cuts of meat
Abstract
An apparatus and method for locating the boundary surface between a layer of fatty tissue and lean tissue in a cut of meat, such as beef, such as slabs of meat undergoing trimming and cutting in commercial meet processing facilitates. The invention exploits the fact that fatty tissue and lean tissue have significantly different responses to incident light energy. By gauging the degree to which a generated beam of light is scattered and reflected by the tissues under evaluation, the invention permits the character of the tissue to be ascertained. An incident beam of light, such as green light, is generated and transmitted to a probe tip, which tip is inserted into the cut of meat under investigation. The light beam is emitted into the meat tissues from the probe tip, and then is scattered and reflected by the tissues, whereupon some fraction of the emitted light returns to the probe tip. The returning light energy is transmitted to a detector; relative changes in the returning light transmitted to the detector permit the operator to determine when the probe tip is approaching or penetrating the fat/lean tissue interface.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1175248
- Patent Number(s):
- 6859282
- Application Number:
- 10/040,684
- Assignee:
- Sandia Corporation
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
A - HUMAN NECESSITIES A22 - BUTCHERING A22C - PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
G - PHYSICS G01 - MEASURING G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
Citation Formats
Weber, Thomas M., Callow, Diane S., Jones, James F., Kuehl, Michael A., and Spletzer, Barry L. Optical probe for determining the fat/lean interface in cuts of meat. United States: N. p., 2005.
Web.
Weber, Thomas M., Callow, Diane S., Jones, James F., Kuehl, Michael A., & Spletzer, Barry L. Optical probe for determining the fat/lean interface in cuts of meat. United States.
Weber, Thomas M., Callow, Diane S., Jones, James F., Kuehl, Michael A., and Spletzer, Barry L. Tue .
"Optical probe for determining the fat/lean interface in cuts of meat". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1175248.
@article{osti_1175248,
title = {Optical probe for determining the fat/lean interface in cuts of meat},
author = {Weber, Thomas M. and Callow, Diane S. and Jones, James F. and Kuehl, Michael A. and Spletzer, Barry L.},
abstractNote = {An apparatus and method for locating the boundary surface between a layer of fatty tissue and lean tissue in a cut of meat, such as beef, such as slabs of meat undergoing trimming and cutting in commercial meet processing facilitates. The invention exploits the fact that fatty tissue and lean tissue have significantly different responses to incident light energy. By gauging the degree to which a generated beam of light is scattered and reflected by the tissues under evaluation, the invention permits the character of the tissue to be ascertained. An incident beam of light, such as green light, is generated and transmitted to a probe tip, which tip is inserted into the cut of meat under investigation. The light beam is emitted into the meat tissues from the probe tip, and then is scattered and reflected by the tissues, whereupon some fraction of the emitted light returns to the probe tip. The returning light energy is transmitted to a detector; relative changes in the returning light transmitted to the detector permit the operator to determine when the probe tip is approaching or penetrating the fat/lean tissue interface.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2005},
month = {2}
}
Works referenced in this record:
Effect of connective tissue on the shape of reflectance spectra obtained with a fibre-optic fat-depth probe in beef
journal, February 2001
- Swatland, H. J.
- Meat Science, Vol. 57, Issue 2