Biotronics Unveils Noninvasive Measure of Pork Loin Marbling

Extended online tests of a newly developed instrument grading system for pork carcasses demonstrate its ability to differentiate pork loins relative to marbling levels. Researchers have long shown that marbling in the pork loin adds significantly to juiciness and flavor of chops.

A recent journal research article supported by researchers at Colorado State University and Ohio State University also found a positive relationship between increased marbling levels and ultimate pH, a major industry standard for measuring pork quality. Years of selection for lean hogs in the USA have removed much of the intramuscular fat from the loin muscle, the fat that provides juiciness and flavor. Loss of natural pork flavor and juiciness has been replaced with salt solutions and flavor enhancers injected into the meat by processors.

Doyle Wilson, president of Biotronics, Inc. states that, "This new instrument, called BioQscan, has now been tested on more than 20,000 pork carcasses and has proven its ability to operate effectively at chain processing speeds exceeding 1,200 carcasses per hour." Wilson says that within milliseconds of the BioQscan probe being placed on the skin of a pork carcass, the marbling level is known, allowing each carcass to be differentiated relative to its quality.