FIELD TOOL TO MEASURE DEFECTS IN CHICKEN BREAST VIA MICROWAVE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES

The goal of this effort will be the creation and testing of a microwave NDE system that is capable of detecting several chicken breast myopathies, including woody breast. The objectives supporting this goal are as follows:1. Development of a physical model of microwave interactions with chicken breast (healthy and otherwise). Success in this objective will result in an analytical model that can be used to generate s-parameters for an idealchicken breast.2. Development of a classification algorithm to translate measured s-parameters into a classification related to chicken breast quality. Success in the objective will be determined by the overall accuracy/reliability of the method compared to standard methods.3. Deployment of the microwave system in a prototype form. Success in this objective will result in the integration of microwave sensors into an in-line conveyor belt (or similar) system.