Modelling the chilling of the leg, loin and shoulder of beef carcasses using an evolutionary method

An evolutionary algorithm was used to adjust unknown parameters during the beef cooling process. These parameters are the equivalent diameter and the initial temperature profile, which are difficult to estimate given the irregular geometry, the elapsed time after slaughter and variations in both the air temperature and velocity. The adjusted parameters produced accurate predictions of the center and surface temperature profiles of the leg, loin and shoulder. The adjusted dimensions agreed very well with the measured carcass dimensions. Empirical equations were obtained to correlate this diameter with the weight and fat grade of beef carcasses.