—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 16, 1973 18 Meat Analyzer Measures Fat Content At A Glance A device that measures the fat content of ground beef accurately and instantaneously has been invented by two scientists of the U. S Department of Agriculture (USDA). The first commercial version of this fat tester was demonstrated last week in New York City. It is designed to give super markets and butcher shops an inexpensive tool that can guarantee consumers ground beef of specific fat content. Possibilities are good that the tester can be adapted to measure the amount of fat in other ground meats, including pork, lamb and chicken. Twin Valley FFA Members To Hatch Same Bird Eggs In an effort to prevent the loss of many game birds, members of the Twin Valley FFA will attempt to hatch pheasant and quail eggs from nests damaged during routine farming operations. With the removal of many farm fencerows the pheasants and quail are forced to lay their eggs in hay fields. At about the time the farmer is mowing hay, the birds are starting to incubate their eggs. Members of the Twin Valley wildlife committee have borrowed incubators from tbfe high school science department I I Volume-Belt Cattle Feeder | | Phone 393-3906 w' 1305 Manheim Pike Lancaster, Pa. 17601 This new food quality analyzer was devised by electronic technician George F. Button Jr, and engineer Karl H. Norris of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at Beltsville, Md. It is a product of continuing ARS research to develop instruments capable of measuring quality in foods and other agricultural products. The inventors have applied for a public-service patent on the fat tester. Although fat conten largely determines the quality of ground beef, butchers have had no easy way to measure it. Most have relied on experience and judgment to pack ground beef to try to save some of the eggs from destroyed nests. Farmers destroying nests while doing routine operations are urged to contact one of the following wildlife committee members to have the eggs picked up: West Nantmeal Area - John McNeill, 286-5642; Honey Brook Area - John Miller, 273-3177; Robert Evans, 273-3995; Geigertown Area - Ron Dan necker, 286-6152; Geoffrey Fultz, 582-3649; Green Hills Area - Jeff Boltz, 856-7668. The eggs should be kept warm until the FFA member' arrives to pick them up. After the eggs are hatched, the members will raise the young birds until they are self sufficient and then release them either around their homes or in the environmental education area of the school district. Robert Evans Wildlife Committee Chairman Petrified Forest The Petrified Forest is part of Arizona’s Painted Desert and has the world’s largest known display of petrified wood. These trees were killed by fire, insects and fungus; then covered by mud, sand and volcanic ash containing silica. The wood became petrified by absorb ing silica carried by ground water. Only 1-1/2 hp. Up to 250 Feet Big Capacity Belt Carries Feed Works In-Barn or Out with different amounts of fat for their customers. Laws limiting fat content and requiring ac curate labeling have made the amount of fat in ground meat a critical factor. Some super markets are using a chemical test of fat content to guide but chers, but a faster, easier test has been needed. The ARS-developed analyzer meets these requirements. This hand-portable instrument is simply placed on top of a package of ground beef. A meter needle immediately points to a dial number indicating the percentage of fat in the package. Range of the dial is 0 to 50 percent. Fat content can be measured either through the usual plastic wrapper or with the wrapper removed. Tests of the analyzer with ground beef varying in fat con tent from 10 to 35 percent were made at Beltsville under the direction of Dr. Anthony W. Kotula, ARS food technologist. Meter readings in these tests agreed with results of standard extraction procedures within a standard error of one percent. ' 'A NEW 999 CON Greater capacity Operates with less poti ailfc'ffl Requires less than any other mower conditioheVff Operate in heavy hay or sudax a gear faster. Full-width conditioning rolls eliminate dead spots that waste power. And you’ll find there’s no power loss due to side draft on hillsides or on the level. You get increased capacity because larger diameter 44-inch reel is less affected by changing crop conditions. And, the unique position of the reel bats holds the crop flat so it feeds through the conditioning rolls, without hesitation. What s more, controlled platform float and self-compensating roll pressure lets you move from field to field, crop to crop and rarelv ever readjust the 990. J Call us for a demonstration MMESSICK FARM EQUIPMENT 111 ■ 2750 N. Market St., Elizabethtown, Pa. Ph. 717-367-1319 Basic principle of the fat tester is light reflectance. Using modern electro-optical technology, the shape of the reflectance curves of meat samples can be analyzed to reveal the fat content of the samples. The reflectance curves for ground meat show a slight dip in the near-infrared portion of the spectrum between 930 and 950 nm (nanometers, or billionths of a meter). This dip reflects the amount of fat in the meat. The instrument developed by Button and Norris uses four flashlight lamps mounted in a tube to illuminate the meat p«mr DANIEL S. ESH Box 351, RDI Ronks, Pa. COMPLETE BARN AND INDUSTRIAL PAINTING Water proofing on block walls (5 year guarantee) Write for Free Estimates and Service. USED HAY EQUIPMENT 459 New Holland Haybme 46 I.H. Baler Good Condition 268 N.H. Baler (Good) International 4 Bar Steel Wheel Rake New Holland 24 Ft. Elevator New Holland Wagon with Flat Bed. New Holland 1010 Bale Wagon International model 200 Tractor with Cultivator Farmall H Tractor FOR ALL YOUR HAYING EQUIPMENT SEE US-WE HAVE IT sample. The reflected radiation is collected by an optical scan ning system that incorporates a vibrating mirror and in terference filter, coupled to a silicon solar cell. The output from the solar cell is amplified and sorted into two measuring signals, one representing the average reflectance of the meat sample and the other the change in reflectance noted by the scanner between 930 and 950 mn. A solid-state computer circuit then processes the two signals to produce appropriate needle deflection on a meter calibrated directly in percent fat.
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