Improving intramuscular fat measurement by considering the thickness of protective layer in ultrasonic transducer

This paper presents an overview concerning on the effect of the physical protective layer constructed in ultrasonic transducers with the measurement of ultrasonic velocity. The thickness of the protective layer was determined and applied in the Continuous Wave (CW) and Pulse Echo (PE) ultrasound velocity equations. Corrected Continuous Wave (CCW) was determined as the most accurate fat measurement method and used to measure the intramuscular fat content in chicken fillets. Standard fat measurement method, Soxhlet Method was used to validate the result. The results from the research suggested that it is possible to measure intramuscular fat content non-invasively using ultrasonic velocity measurement. The improvement of the ultrasonic velocity measurement has increased the correlation between fat content measured using Soxhlet Method and ultrasonic velocity compared to the previous research (r= -0.657 vs. r = -0.411). The research presented herewith indicates that with further knowledge of tissue compositions and ultrasound properties, ultrasound technology could be used in the prediction of chicken intramuscular fat percentage with reasonable accuracy.