Micro-NIR Breast Muscle Scanning for Live Wooden Breast Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting muscle abnormalities such as Wooden Breast, White Striping, and Spaghetti Meat in broiler chickens are subjective, labor-intensive, and require euthanasia, lacking efficient, objective, and high-throughput solutions for live detection.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy with a portable Micro-NIR scanner to analyze breast muscle composition, predicting taurine levels which correlate with the severity of Wooden Breast and White Striping, enabling live detection and genetic selection for reduced predisposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual palpation is used to detect Wooden Breast, then detection can be performed, but it requires euthanasia and is subjective and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical palpation with near-infrared spectroscopy, an optical detection system. The Micro-NIR scanner uses light absorption and reflection properties to detect muscle abnormalities non-invasively, eliminating the need for manual inspection and euthanasia while enabling high-throughput objective detection of Wooden Breast, White Striping, and Spaghetti Meat conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces near-infrared light as an intermediary medium to detect muscle abnormalities. The light interacts with the breast muscle tissue, and the reflected or absorbed light provides information about the presence of myopathies, serving as a non-invasive mediator between the detector and the tissue without requiring physical contact or euthanasia
2Measurement precision
If manual palpation is used to detect muscle abnormalities, then detection can be performed, but it is subjective and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective manual mechanical inspection with an objective optical spectroscopy system. The Micro-NIR scanner provides quantitative, repeatable measurements based on light-tissue interactions, eliminating human subjectivity and labor intensity while maintaining or improving detection accuracy through standardized spectral analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the detection approach by changing from mechanical parameters (hand pressure, tactile feedback) to optical parameters (light wavelength, absorption coefficient, reflectance). This parameter transformation enables objective, standardized detection that is independent of operator skill or fatigue while providing rich spectral data for analysis
3Reliability
If traditional detection methods are used, then muscle abnormalities can be identified, but euthanasia is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive mechanical palpation requiring euthanasia with non-invasive optical spectroscopy. The Micro-NIR scanner detects muscle abnormalities through light interaction with the tissue, providing reliable detection without physical intrusion or harm to the live animal, thus eliminating the need for euthanasia while maintaining detection reliability
4Productivity
If near-infrared spectroscopy is used for live detection, then euthanasia is avoided and detection is objective, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a portable handheld Micro-NIR scanner that segments the detection function into a compact, mobile unit. This segmentation allows the complex spectroscopy system to be divided into manageable components (light source, spectrometer, detector, processing unit) that can be integrated into a portable device, enabling high-throughput detection without requiring large fixed infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements automated spectral analysis and interpretation algorithms that process the near-infrared data without requiring expert manual analysis. The system automatically identifies characteristic spectral signatures of muscle abnormalities, performs quantitative analysis, and provides diagnostic results, making the complex system self-sufficient and reducing operational complexity despite the advanced technology
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides objective and efficient detection of muscle abnormalities without euthanasia, allowing for genetic selection to reduce the incidence of Wooden Breast and improve meat quality, with a 14% decrease in severe cases for each unit decrease in taurine levels.
Implementation Method 1
scanning the top left side of the breast area of a live feathered or un-feathered poultry item one or more times with a portable handheld micro-Near-Infrared (Micro-NIR) scanner of a NIR spectrometer using light in the near-infrared spectrum to analyze composition of the breast muscle
Implementation Method 2
When the light interacts with the breast, certain wavelengths of infrared light are absorbed and some are reflected based on the composition and properties of the breast muscle
Implementation Method 3
When the light interacts with the breast, certain wavelengths of infrared light are absorbed and some are reflected based on the composition and properties of the breast muscle
Data Source
AI summary
The technology as disclosed herein includes systems, methods, and compositions for detection of disease in a subject using spectroscopy and includes more effective detection of muscular myopathies in commercially farmed animals using infrared spectroscopy, and includes detection of Wooden Breast, White Striping, and/or Spaghetti Meat in broiler chickens utilizing near infrared spectroscopy. Implementations of the systems, methods, and compositions provided herein include and/or utilize and/or provide for detection of Wooden Breast, White Striping, and/or Spaghetti Meat in broiler chickens utilizing near infrared spectroscopy of breast area of live birds for prediction of taurine levels in the muscle.