P.PSH.1360 - Early adoption of Frontmatec tech online summary

Summary

Red meat traits are graded using manual and primarily visual subjective methods. Not only are these manual grading methods tedious, they are also open to inaccuracies in the data captured. This project aims to deliver an early adoption and evaluation of the cut surface camera to cold beef carcase traits to improve accuracy and consistency compared to current visual grading methods.

This project will develop operating protocols to enable adoption of a grading solution using the camera images from cold carcase measurement for future adopters. Specifically, the project will evaluate the integration of the Frontmatec cut surface camera beef grading solution into a beef processor's workflows and business data management systems, including feedback to producers. General learnings from this project will be used to develop generic guidelines for adoption and integration of new OM technologies.

Objectives

The overall objective of the project was to deliver an early adoption and evaluation of the Frontmatec handheld grading camera to measure ribeye grading characteristics in beef.

The specific objectives of the project were:

Test and trial integration of developing equipment and integration of software into feedback systems, including MSA grading outputs (across multiple JBS sites)

Evaluate the integration of the Frontmatec camera solution into JBS’s southern operations’ workflows and business data management systems, including feedback to producers

Evaluate device grading capabilities across multiple classes of animals and sites

Develop protocols on how to integrate new OM technologies including data captured into existing business systems

Develop generic guidelines for adoption and integration of new OM technologies

Develop a case study of learnings of integration of Frontmatec camera grading solution into business workflows and operating systems

Develop recommendations and identify any potential future R&D to support adoption of pre-commercial OM solutions into plant systems

Key findings

JBS completed the installation of all unit servers across three demonstration JBS operations.

During the trialling phase, JBS has undertaken ongoing trials of the Qfom camera and other devices.

At the highest level, JBs considers none of our three sites grade at a purpose build grading station, hence it is all done in the chillers whilst the carcases are pushed up hard against each other and the smaller MEQ unit is going to be more manageable in this situation. 

Overall, JBS considers the Frontmatec offering to be good one, however it’s not ideal for the Southern plants, unless there are substantial changes to grading location.

The Q-FOM Beef camera is fully approved for grading beef carcases quartered caudal to the 10th to 13th rib on the following traits as of November 2023.

Benefits to industry

Q-FOM provides repeatable and reproducible objective ribeye grading. Adoption of the Q-FOM Beef camera OM technology will ensure fair payment and correct eating quality determination for consumers. OM technology adoption will remove grading biases caused by human grader-to-grader differences and classification preferences. The industry must now evaluate how grader variation and Q-FOM precision affects brand consistency, integrity and performance and evaluate the economic impact of improved precision on producer feedback and how this influences consistency and quality of supply in future.

MLA action

The project will continue to proceed with MLA support.

Future research

The next phase will be final reporting, including recommendations for any further R&D required to fully implement and adopt across the business, including:

Accreditation trials must be designed to ensure data collection enabling equipment providers to present equipment performance on all traits, full range.

Subcutaneous rib fat thickness and IMF% needs further R&D work before these traits fulfill the approval criteria.

Tools and features should be implemented which enable up-stream slaughter line feedback to be used for process optimisation.