New technologies may bring benefits to meat inspection in the UK, but there are still problems to overcome, according to a report.
An assignment evaluated the feasibility of complex sensor technologies and knowledge analysis for poultry inspection. It focused on autopsy inspection and included technologies such as visual benefits, near-infrared, infrared and hyperspectral, X-rays and ultrasound, as well as computer technologies.
Poultry is the most meat-fed in the UK. The inspection is manual and complicated due to the short time needed to check each bird and the constant point of concentration needed. Human error is imaginable and subjective and is based on the opinion and fun of meat inspector
The assignment team visited a food facility in November 2019. This site uses optical imaging and X-rays in the number one processing of poultry. These technologies are used to trip over hock burns, classify the corpse or locate foreign items in finished products. the plant slaughters 250,000 poultry a day and has two full-time meat inspectors working on its two processing lines.
Five of the known topics included that any formula will need to be simple to use, reliable, robust, well understood, and should solve a problem.
Concerns were raised based on previous failed attempts to install new technologies, adding complexity for the inspector. One concern of meat inspectors was that the generation will have to be at least as reliable as the person, many of whom have decades of experience. Technologies can only be used in conjunction with the existing inspector role to decrease the workload.
The plants in which these technologies are installed are cleaned with corrosive chemicals and large amounts of water. Depending on where it is installed, there may be variations in environmental conditions, such as humidity and temperature.
Poultry processors operate in a competitive sector with margins. Any change of schedule or stop of the production line can mean the loss of gigantic quantities of product.
Other points come with considerations about job safety, affecting daily operations, proper education and understanding of the necessary knowledge and how you can indicate actions.
Despite the technology, a meat inspector would be needed to identify other situations or to remove the birds from the line and place them in the container of the correct category. Automating this procedure would require a primary investment in the redesign of the plant. According to the research, the needs, considerations and drivers of regulators, food businesses, stores and consumers do not match.
Most likely, there will be legal issues related to who is guilty of food safety, technology and knowledge, and role adjustments would require substitution in legislation.
Artificial intelligence technologies, sensors, and knowledge analytics are tested prior to implementation to minimize disruption to the food business. Multiple stakeholders are involved in the production process, which makes things complex. responsibility and responsibility for automated decisions, and the commitment of monetary resources.
The commercial benefits of the new generation would come with greater use of knowledge and reliable real-time measurements. Knowledge can be shared with farms to enable prior identification of issues and trust from support retailers.
Automating the inspection procedure can lead to human error when healthy birds are incorrectly rejected or cases where stores reject products where poor quality birds have been lost. Improving inspection accuracy will save time and money.
The task found that deep learning can simply identify the color of photographs of corpses with a sufficient number of educational photographs, but more effective knowledge labeling strategies are needed. However, some styling effects would lead to the classification of appropriate corpses as inadequate.
Images and classification can also be just a first screen to identify channels where a condition is possibly provided and can also be highlighted to an inspector for further examination and decision.
Hyperspectral optical imaging and X-ray imaging strategies have also known quality issues, such as wooden chest and white stripes on birds’ breasts, but the load may only be a barrier to adoption.
(To subscribe to a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here. )