Kilcoy to gain more meaty insights using AI tech from MEQ

Australian agtech company MEQ and red meat producer and supplier Kilcoy Global Foods (KGF) are expanding their partnership.

KGF has previously incorporated robotic scribe carcase-cutting technology into its processing plants, and has been using MEQ’s beef probe for the past 15 months to help its robots determine precisely where certain cuts should be made.

The expanded partnership will see KGF using MEQ Cameras for its grading across all of its processing plants, and it will be working with MEQ to build an AI-powered Insights Portal that will provide details of trends and eating quality traits of its beef on a mob and carcase level.

MEQ’s AI-powered technology will enable KGF to use data in ways that could directly affect its bottom line, make complex operations more streamlined and efficient, and align with market needs.

By using KGF beef data, MEQ Probe measurements from the MEQ Camera and other data, the Insights Portal will take the form of an interactive dashboard designed to support key business decisions.

Jacob English, Kilcoy Global Foods, said: “Kilcoy is committed to harnessing technology to make the decision-making process faster, easier and based on the most accurate information available. We’re delighted to expand our partnership with MEQ, after the excellent results we’ve seen so far. MEQ is an ideal fit — they are a solutions-oriented business that understands what information is needed to drive real strategic value throughout a supply chain.”

MEQ Cameras will be operational across all KGF processing plants in the coming months, with the MEQ Insights portal being deployed concurrently.

Remo Carbone, CEO MEQ said: “By combining Kilcoy Global Foods’ data with MEQ’s devices and data science capabilities, we can unlock powerful insights that can transform how decisions are made across the business. With millions of data points across various datasets, including both live animal and carcase measurements, MEQ’s database offers an unparalleled foundation for in-depth analysis.”

MEQ technology uses spectral analysis to determine the intramuscular fat percentage (IMF) or eating quality of meat on a carcase-by-carcase basis. The technology amalgamates physics, chemistry and biology with machine learning designed to provide meat processors with a benchmark to improve the quality of their product.

Image credit: iStock.com/Credit:Ilia Nesolenyi