Evaluation of the correlation between the muscle fat ratio of pork belly and pork shoulder butt using computed tomography scan

• Published in: Korean journal of agricultural science Vol. 50; no. 4; pp. 809 - 815
• Main Authors: Sheena Kim, Jeongin Choi, Eun Sol Kim, Gi Beom Keum, Hyunok Doo, Jinok Kwak, Sumin Ryu, Yejin Choi, Sriniwas Pandey, Na Rae Lee, Juyoun Kang, Yujung Lee, Dongjun Kim, Kuk-Hwan Seol, Sun Moon Kang, In-Seon Bae, Soo-Hyun Cho, Hyo Jung Kwon, Samooel Jung, Youngwon Lee, Hyeun Bum Kim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: computed tomography; pork belly; muscle and fat ratio; pork shoulder butt
• ISSN: 2466-2402; 2466-2410

This study was conducted to find out the correlation between meat quality and muscle fat ratio in pork part meat (pork belly and shoulder butt) using CT (computed tomography) imaging technique. After 24 hours from slaughter, pork loin and belly were individually prepared from the left semiconductors of 26 pigs for CT measurement. The image obtained from CT scans was checked through the picture archiving and communications system (PACS). The volume of muscle and fat in the pork belly and shoulder butt of cross-sectional images taken by CT was estimated using Vitrea workstation version 7. This assemblage was further processed through Vitrea post-processing software to automatically calculate the volumes (Fig. 1). The volumes were measured in milliliters (mL). In addition to volume calculation, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the organ under consideration was generated. Pearson's correlation coefficient was analyzed to evaluate the relationship by region (pork belly, pork shoulder butt), and statistical processing was performed using GraphPad Prism 8. The muscle-fat ratios of pork belly taken by CT was 1 : 0.86, while that of pork shoulder butt was 1 : 0.37. As a result of CT analysis of the correlation coefficient between pork belly and shoulder butt compared to the muscle-fat ratio, the correlation coefficient was 0.5679 (R2 = 0.3295, p < 0.01). CT imaging provided very good estimates of muscle contents in cuts and in the whole carcass.