Comparison of preparation methods for the structural examination of meat using micro-computed tomography

Abstract

In this contribution we used micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to analyse the structural characteristics of turkey meat. In order to increase the contrast between muscle fibers and the surrounding tissue, three different preparation methods were tested. Firstly, the structure of the meat was examined in the frozen (F) state using a Deben cooling stage and in freeze-dried (FD) state. Secondly, samples were pretreated using a contrast agent (CA) (Lugol's iodine solution) to increase the contrast of muscle fibers. The shrinkage caused by the FD process was compared by quantitative analysis of the sample´s volume and the muscular structure proportion to total volume (MV/TV).