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From the standpoint of spectral reflectance measurements, the internal structure of a food determines its scatter coefficient, and the composition determines the absorption coefficient. Spectral reflectance measurements on longissimus muscle from PSE (pale, soft, exudative), normal, and DFD (dark, firm, dry) quality pork (Wisconsin Pork Quality Standards) indicated that the scatter coefficient would relate well to pork quality. Scatter represents a redistribution of radiation inside a medium. This redistribution can be readily evaluated visually or with radiometric detectors if the sample is illuminated at a point. A helium neon laser was used to point illuminate longissimus measuring pork quality. The slope of a plot of radiation intensity vs position for radiometric measurement on the transmitted (opposite) side of the pork chop was used as an expression of the redistribution of radiation in the longissimus. The slope was correlated (r = .92) with the Hart percent transmittance method of assaying pork quality. The scatter coefficient was determined with conventional integrating sphere measurements. Correlation between the scatter coefficient of the longissimus and the optical density of the Hart extract was .88.
Birth et al. (Wed,) studied this question.