White striping degree assessment using computer vision system and consumer acceptance test

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate three different degrees of white striping (WS) addressing their automatic assessment and customer acceptance. The WS classification was performed based on a computer vision system (CVS), exploring different machine learning (ML) algorithms and the most important image features. Moreover, it was verified by consumer acceptance and purchase intent. Methods The samples for image analysis were classified by trained specialists, according to severity degrees regarding visual and firmness aspects. Samples were obtained with a digital camera, and 25 features were extracted from these images. ML algorithms were applied aiming to induce a model capable of classifying the samples into three severity degrees. In addition, two sensory analyses were performed: 75 samples properly grilled were used for the first sensory test, and 9 photos for the second. All tests were performed using a 10-cm hybrid hedonic scale (acceptance test) and a 5-point scale (purchase intention). Results The information gain metric ranked 13 attributes. However, just one type of image feature was not enough to describe the phenomenon. The classification models support vector machine, fuzzy-W, and random forest showed the best results with similar general accuracy (86.4%). The worst performance was obtained by multilayer perceptron (70.9%) with the high error rate in normal (NORM) sample predictions. The sensory analysis of acceptance verified that WS myopathy negatively affects the texture of the broiler breast fillets when grilled and the appearance attribute of the raw samples, which influenced the purchase intention scores of raw samples. Conclusion The proposed system has proved to be adequate (fast and accurate) for the classification of WS samples. The sensory analysis of acceptance showed that WS myopathy negatively affects the tenderness of the broiler breast fillets when grilled, while the appearance attribute of the raw samples eventually influenced purchase intentions.

Biochemical and technological characteristics of wooden breast chicken fillets and their consumer acceptance

“…The use of photos had already been proven as an effective method for the visual evaluation of raw chicken breasts, so the procedure was used during the white striping evaluation. ( WS ) (Kato et al 2019 ).…”

“…Color alterations, as the presence of pale and yellowish regions, and protuberances on the surface (Sihvo et al 2014 ), may influence directly consumer´s acceptance and purchase intention. Kato et al ( 2019 ) investigated the perception of American and Brazilian consumers, respectively, in relation to the appearance of chicken fillets with white striping ( WS ), an anomaly that may occur simultaneously with WB . Both studies used photographic images during the evaluation and found out that, as the anomaly degree of severity increases, acceptance and purchasing intention decreases significantly.…”

Differentiating Breast Myopathies through Color and Texture Analyses in Broiler

“…Besides texture, color is a very important meat trait that drives consumer choice, especially for raw meat, as consumers want to see the product [2]. Nevertheless, less attention has been given to this quality trait in relation with texture when myopathies occur focusing more in appearance and firmness aspects [13] more related to texture. Different texture devices and tests have been used assessing major pectoralis myopathies, such as Meullenet-Owens razor shear [14,15], Allo-Kramer shear [16], Warner-Bratzler shear [17] or texture profile analysis (TPA) which is more commonly used in this species [14,17,18].…”

Effects of reducing dietary amino acid density and stocking density on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and occurrence of white striping in broiler chickens

“…(2014) showed that reduced growth rate results in lower occurrence and severity of WS in broiler breast muscle, which also supported the hypothesis that higher metabolic rate plays a vital role in the occurrence of WS. Different studies have shown that WS had negative impacts on overall breast meat quality by worsening WHC and tenderness ( Bowker and Zhuang, 2016 ; Brambila et al., 2016 ; Kato et al., 2019 ). On the other hand, Mudalal et al.…”

“…(2015) reported that WS had a negligible or relatively low effect on meat quality. Besides reducing meat quality, the appearance of WS was shown to affect consumer acceptance negatively ( Fletcher, 2002 ; Kato et al., 2019 ).…”