The evolution of non-invasive ultrasound used in meat quality evaluation to select the best animals-a review

Having in mind the demographic explosion and the pressing need to ensure food supplies for the entire world, this review came with a synthetic presentation of the most modern non-invasive technique of investigation used in meat quality evaluation for livestock that has evolved and developed in the last 60 years. These modern techniques such as ultrasound, Computer Tomography (CT) and Video Image Analyses (VIA) were first introduced in human medicine and afterwards were adopted by animal research and implemented gradually as a tool to predict meat at an early age. Ultrasound, CT and VIA developed very quickly and helped considerably the meat industry focusing on assurance of human health. These techniques became popular as they were able to accurately predict meat quality in vivo avoiding the need to slaughter the animals, which assisted in the evaluation of meat quality in breeding candidates. One of the evaluation methods presented above was adopted by Romania for the first-time to improve meat quality evaluation in sheep, and as a result some disadvantages regarding the classical procedure for evaluating sheep for meat production have been removed. The classical procedure for sheep meat evaluation used in Romania until 2012 was to slaughter the animal in order to obtain meat carcass measurements (commercial yield, slaughtering yield, dressing percentage and meat to bone ratio), a method which involves hard and expensive work and sacrificing the animal, which otherwise may have been used in reproduction. The ultrasound method was chosen as an option in sheep meat quality evaluation thanks to its efficiency with providing fast and accurate results, particularly since non-invasive ultrasound measurements very well correlated with meat traits. Ultrasound parameters were measured in vivo in two points on the Longissimus Dorsi muscle, which in Teleorman Black Head sheep is a muscle very well correlated with carcass meat amount. Very soon the ultrasound evaluation was used in goats of the Carpatina breed with similar ultrasound parameters recognized for meat quality. Consequently, the use of ultrasound measurements in genetic evaluation systems has been recommended to increase the rate of genetic improvement for carcass yield and quality traits. That is why the ultrasound method is recommended in meat quality evaluation to facilitate classification of animals specialized for meat quality. Animal breeders and farmers use ultrasound in vivo evaluation to maximize genetic gain for meat traits by selecting the best individuals. The application of this non-invasive technique provides prospects for livestock breeders and the meat industry for an accurate in vivo meat evaluation for quality carcass classification, very important in maximizing economically important traits.