Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) technology is one of the best product inspection technologies for the meat production industry. This is a revolutionary technology that every raw meat producer should have on their production line.

The reasons for meat producers to use DEXA technology are numerous, but here’s a short list of the top 3 reasons:

1: Real-Time Analysis of Chemical Lean, Moisture and Protein of Meat

Profitability of meat production hinges on the accurate measurement of the chemical lean (CL) value, or fat content, of meat. Marking meat as being leaner than it actually is can lead to a “fat claim” against the meat producer. These fat claims cost time and money to resolve, hurting production and profits.

On the other hand, marking meat as having a higher fat content than it actually possesses can result in lost profits—essentially giving away free lean meat.

DEXA machines provide meat producers with an accurate tool for measuring the CL value of meat on the production line in real-time. This speeds up production by eliminating delays for traditional lab testing of meat. It also provides the most accurate CL measurement down to +/- 0.25 – 0.5 CL.

2: 100% Inspection, Non-Destructive Analysis of Meat

Another issue with traditional, lab-based tests is that they’re often destructive of the meat being tested. The chemicals involved in these analyses destroy the meat or render it inedible.

Because of this, meat producers that rely on traditional testing methods usually only check a fraction of a percent of their total meat production, say about 500g per 10,000 lbs.

Such a small sample size doesn’t even begin to create an accurate assessment of the CL value of meat. For example, if the 500g of meat tested had a 25% greater or lesser CL value than the rest of the meat on the production line, this would greatly affect the accuracy of the final product or batch.

100% non-destructive testing with DEXA machines allows meat producers to inspect every last ounce of meat being passed through the production line. This allows for much greater fat CL accuracy and eliminates errors introduced with sampling.

3: Broad-Range Detection of Contaminants

Naturally, beyond ensuring that each meat package’s fat content labeling or recipe is as accurate as possible, meat producers need to ensure that the raw meat products they make are free of dangerous contaminants.

DEXA technology can do more than just analyze the chemical lean value of meat—it can readily detect a broad variety of contaminants that traditional x-ray or metal detection machines might miss.

This is because of how DEXA technology works. By using two x-ray energy bands and examining the rate at which the high- and low-energy waves are absorbed, DEXA machines can analyze the chemical composition of whatever is passed under the scanner.

With this capability, DEXA machines can detect contaminants such as:

• Small bones
• Lead pellets (buckshot)
• Light metals (such as aluminum)
• Dense plastic and rubber
• Glass shards
• Stones
• Etc.

Analyzing the chemical composition of materials greatly enhances the product safety aspect of nearly any production line. In this way, DEXA technology is nearly indispensable for creating safety in the meat production industry.

Learn more about DEXA and other product inspection technologies today!