August 7, 2006

US company says ultrasound can help produce juicer pork

Instead of using ultrasound technology to detect the sex of an unborn baby, Biotronics Inc, a company formed by US researchers, hopes hog producers would use it to identify animals that can produce juicier meat.

Biotronics wants to sell its ultrasound system to pork processors to measure meat quality on hog carcasses.

The company, which received a US$80,000 grant from the USDA for the first phase of the project, may receive another US$350,000 for its second phase.

Doyle Wilson, Biotronics president said since pork sold in the markets are now leaner, with less marbling, or intramuscular fat, it has also lost part of its juiciness and flavour. With the technology, processors could detect which swine have bigger, more marbled loins and then breed for that selected trait.

Ceci Snyder, assistant vice president of consumer marketing at the National Pork Board, said the industry is trying to find the right balance of fat in the pork.

Both Snyder and Wilson were professors in the animal science department of Iowa State University.

While some people prefer healthy options, some would prefer more marbling for the tastiness factor, he said. For this reason, the pork board is conducting a study of consumer pork preferences that should be released next year, Snyder said.