Melbourne, Australia
Australian AgTech startup, MEQ Probe has today announced the official launch of the MEQ Camera technology following its accreditation by industry peak body, AUS-MEAT for its accurate measurement of the full marbling (0-6 and 7-9) and fat colour (0-8) ranges in beef.
The Australian-built, AI-enabled technology is the first to use video to grade the quality of meat. It consists of a smartphone application that uses a phone’s own camera to segment muscle on a cut of meat in real-time and is the first solution on the market to use video instead of a still image to make these determinations. It utilises AI to give the solution stronger integrity as it grades from data rich video, instead of just from still images, as is the case with other solutions on the market.
The MEQ Camera also received conditional accreditation from AUS-MEAT for the meat colour (1C-7) and Eye Muscle Area traits. While the company’s fully accredited MEQ Probes for lamb and beef provide hot carcase measurements (meaning no chilling of meat is needed) the Camera provides cold carcase yield and eating quality measurements. Little specialist training is needed to operate the technology and the immediacy of the results means that processors can share insights quickly through the supply chain. It also allows for far greater consistency which ensures the industry can deliver on its brand promises with confidence.
Leading beef processors have already been trailing the technology at their processing plants, with Greenhams using the Camera for several months, and MEQ’s development partner, Australian Country Choice, testing it for over a year.
CEO of MEQ Probe, Remo Carbone said,” We are thrilled to hear that our cutting-edge solutions continue to be recognised by AUS-MEAT for their accuracy and objectivity. Harnessing the power of AI and machine learning has always been a priority of us when building our technology and the MEQ Camera is another great example of how this can be brought to life.
“While development of the Camera began less than two years ago, the addition of it to our suite of advanced grading tools really puts us a cut above the rest. Coupled with our probes, and MEQ LIVE, our technology provides the entire red meat supply chain with unparalleled insights into eating quality, down to the level of individual animal. We look forward to pushing the boundaries of what might be possible in the space even further.”
The application is not currently available to consumers but is to those involved in the red meat supply chain.
MEQ Probe
MEQ Probe is an Australia-based Agtech start-up working to further advance the global meat industry towards objectively measuring meat quality. MEQ Probe technology utilises spectral analysis to determine the intramuscular fat percentage (IMF) or eating quality of meat on a carcase-by-carcase basis. The innovative technology amalgamates physics, chemistry, and biology with Machine Learning to provide meat processors with a benchmark to improve the quality of their product. MEQ Probe provides real-time information to meat processors, which can be shared up the supply chain (distributors, butchers, consumers) and down the supply chain (on-farm growers)
