The Rural Voice, 1998-09, Page 12Scrap Book
Ultasound gives feeders a sneak preview
Work is continuing at the
University of Guelph to develop a
robust ultrasound imaging system
that beef producers can use to see
the quality of the meat on their
animals before they're shipped for
slaughter.
With the growing demand for
high-quality, well -marbled cuts of
beef, producers need to select those
animals that will produce well -
marbled muscle to be finished to
meet higher -grading specifications.
At the same time, they want to
minimize back fat to avoid wasteful
feeding and costly trimming.
Portable animal ultrasound
machines, originally developed for
veterinary diagnostic use, could be a
valuable tool for decision-making.
Animal ultrasound is non-invasive
and the equipment is relatively inex-
pensive and easy to operate. With
special waveguides and operator
training, the diagnostic machines
can be used to determine back fat
thickness, ribeye area, and intra-
muscular fat content or marbling
score of the ribeye area of cattle
while they are still being finished.
However, it is difficult to inter-
pret the video image from ultra-
sound machines. Ultrasound features
and outlines appear very different
from visual images to both
producers and to experienced meat
graders. It's difficult to tell the
difference between different types
of tissue and the section viewed on a
single ultrasound scan may not
contain enough clues to differentiate
muscle from fat or connective
tissue.
The objective of the joint
research by the School of Engineer-
ing and the Department of Animal
Science, was to develop techniques
for interpreting ultrasound images
taken from live animals. Two steps
were needed to predict marbling
score from ultrasound images of live
cattle. First, a set of tracing rules
was developed that allowed a non-
expert user to delineate the ribeye
areas as accurately as a trained
technician. Then a simple image
analysis technique was applied to
estimate the percent of marbling fat
in the ribeye traced out.
Several hundred cattle were
followed through feeding trials at
the university. Ultrasound images
were done at the 12/13 rib section of
the cattle on regular intervals.
Chemical fat analysis of the ribcye
and ultimate grade were determined
at slaughter, and a video image of
the carcass section was made.
Tests showed the ultrasound
evaluation to be very accurate but
image quality is very important and
it was critical to set up equipment
consistently and handle cattle to
minimize movement. Work is
continuing to find a more practical
application for feedlot use.0
—Source: Agri -Food Research in
Ontario magazine
Growing vegetables under the bubble
Technology used in contact lenses is being utilized by an Alberta company to
produce an energy-efficient greenhouse.
Controlled Environment Agriculture operates a greenhouse in Nanton,
Alberta that uses a unique insulation method involving soap bubbles between
two layers of plastic. When plants need more shade, a system blows more
bubbles across the plastic ceiling and up the walls. To get more light, the bubbles
are made larger or are removed with air pressure. "The whole idea is that it
would function like a cloud," said Bill Sturm, company president.
The structure is 45 metres long and the wall spaces can be filled with foam in
six minutes. Initially operators were having trouble with the friction of the foam
but a contact lens coating, traditionally used to reduce friction with the eyelid,
was applied to the chamber walls and made the bubbles move much more easily.
The foam can last for 72 hours. The greenhouse lets light and heat in and out as
needed. The insulation value of the roof full of bubbles is the equivalent of R-
24.0
— Source: Western Producer
8 THE RURAL VOICE
A healthy boost
for Ontario garlic
Ontario garlic production
could receive a boost from
research at the University of
Guelph that shows locally
grown garlic meets or exceeds
the levels of those compounds
which are known to help reduce
cholesterol and blood pressure
levels.
Research showed four
Ontario -grown varieties of
garlic (Music, Seaforth,
McEwen and Yovanov)
harvested in late summer, 1996,
contained the same level of
allicin-releasing potential
(considered the biochemical
marker of garlic's efficacy) as
imported garlic varieties. One
Ontario variety, Irene, contained
almost twice the level of allicin-
releasing potential as the
imports.
The researchers also tested
garlic pills and found pills
produced from one Ontario -
grown variety had the same
amount of allicin-releasing
potential as the imported garlic
pill called Kwai, but vastly
more than another import,
Kyolic.
Further research is required to
identify the one or more active
metabolites that may be present
in human blood after consuming
garlic. This is important because
allicin is not generally detected
in the bloodstream after
consumption of either fresh
garlic or any of the commercial
garlic preparations. Recent
studies have shown that allicin
is very unstable and is
metabolized rapidly to form
allyl mercaptan or the meta-
bolite S-allylmercaptocysteine.
Three studies into cholesterol
lowering and anti-cancer agents
have shown physiological
activity associated with these
two compounds.0
—Source: Agri -Food Research
in Ontario magazine
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