DEXA devices achieve accreditation for lamb

Following the successful development and release of the Advanced Livestock Measurement Technologies (ALMTech) program, dual energy x-ray absorptiometer (DEXA) devices have achieved full accreditation as predictors of lean meat yield (LMY) in hot lamb carcases.

With the integration of DEXA into lamb abattoirs being a key focus of ALMTech, the culminating installation of six devices across Australia allowed for the AUS-MEAT accreditation of DEXA as a predictor of carcase fat, LMY and bone percentage.

However, as part of AUS-MEAT’s requirement that the process be repeated within 12 months of the initial provisional accreditation first being awarded to achieve full accreditation, MLA partnered with Murdoch University to ensure that initial accreditation trial results could be repeated within the year.

Collecting 269 carcases across five site trials at the WAMMCO processing plant in Katanning WA, DEXA devices were initially used to scan these carcases before they were transported to the Murdoch University campus for a CT scan, which is the gold standard measurement device for LMY.

In October 2024, the DEXA reaccreditation report was submitted to the Australian Meat Industry Language and Standards Committee (AMILSC) and was subsequently accepted, marking DEXA’s full accreditation, in December 2024.

Benefits to the sheep industry

Trial outcomes have proven DEXA to be a more accurate means to predict carcase composition when compared to hot standard carcase weight (HCWT) and GR tissue depth measurements.

This capability, alongside the acceptance of the re-accreditation report by AMILSC, allows for the sheepmeat industry to use the DEXA system as a means of trading upon sheep carcase composition.

It also allows processors to provide producers with feedback that can be used to enhance their decision making on-farm.

The next steps

Moving forward, MLA plans to unlock further value from DEXA by working to extend the accreditation achieved for hot DEXA to include cold DEXA – doubling the number of devices accredited to measure LMY.

Early work has also indicated that the bone values measured using cold DEXA may be a method of predicting consumer eating quality scores, meaning the device could strengthen the MSA sheep cuts model which is currently being rolled out.

Both of these initiatives are currently being investigated in funded projects.