Testing a UV fluorescence probe for beef carcass connective tissues

Abstract

Rapid, non-destructive methods to identify tough meat could improve meat grading and quality control programs and, eventually, may help us to identify the causes of this important commercial problem. Connective tissue in meat may cause toughness, either by the relative amount of the major protein, collagen, or by its heat-resistant strength, which may be monitored from one of its molecular cross-links, pyridinoline. A fibre-optic probe has been developed to detect the UV fluorescence of collagen in meat. Measurements may be made on carcasses in a meat cooler, taking only a few seconds and causing no commercial damage. The probe was challenged with cuts of beef from 25 different animals taken at random from a typical commercial population. Various features of the probe signal were correlated with the relative amounts of collagen and pyridinoline, R = 0.93 and R = 0.77, respectively.