An on-line system to assess beef quality characteristics

The goal of this project was to evaluate the TenderSpecTM beef classification system for tenderness and marbling. The objectives were to evaluate this U.S. system against Australian cattle to identify tender carcasses and evaluate marbling/intramuscular fat within the ribeye. A data set was created to facilitate creation and optimization of algorithms.

In a subset of 255 samples, the TenderSpecTM beef classification system classified 85 per cent as tender. The identified samples met the statistical criterion of 95 per cent accuracy in identifying carcasses that could be certified as tender. That is, when a carcass is certified as tender, the certification was 95 per cent accurate.