Scots project leads world in finding the best meat – before tasting

THE Scottish red meat industry is this week launching the first project of its kind to develop breakthrough technology that can determine the eating quality of meat.

Much of Scotland's reputation for good quality beef and lamb is based on subjective tasting once the steak or the lamb chop is on the table, but the plan is to introduce a rapid assessment of eating quality during the processing of the meat.

The project, which will cost almost 1 million and is jointly funded by Quality Meat Scotland and the Scottish Government, will take three years to complete.

The Scottish Agricultural College will carry out most of the work to develop the Integrated Measurement of Eating Quality, with the aim to create an automatic or semi-automatic system to measure eating quality.

Professor Geoff Simm, vice-principal of SAC, said: "This is an exciting opportunity to develop world-class science to apply to a world-class industry."

Prof Simm said Scotland would be the first country to have this novel technology which would deliver benefits throughout the meat production chain and could be integrated into existing systems used by meat processors.

Leading Scottish restaurateur Tony Singh, owner-chef at the acclaimed "Oloroso" in Edinburgh, welcomed the innovative project. Currently more than one in three customers at Oloroso, a founder member of the Scotch Beef Club, chooses to order steak. Singh pointed out: "Customers are increasingly discerning as they become better informed.

"Our customers are very interested in the background of the meat they eat and they expect a consistent high quality product, which is exactly what this project will ensure we can deliver."

Singh will be serving Scotch Lamb and seafood to VIPs Scotland Week in New York later this week.

Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said it was yet another example of the Scottish Government's commitment to delivering a vibrant and profitable future for the Scottish food industry.

Beef producer and QMS chairman Donald Biggar emphasised the importance of the project to the entire supply chain – from producers to caterers and retailers who sell direct to consumers.

"A complex range of factors determine the texture and taste of meat and this programme will carry out research to develop new processes for the rapid assessment of eating quality in the abattoir," Biggar said.

"Equally important, however, is the signal this will send back up the chain to producers, who will be able to adopt the best management systems to produce beef of a consistently high eating quality."

The initial focus of the project will be on beef, with the aim to extend the technology to lamb and pork.