Multifractal analysis application to the characterization of fatty infiltration in Iberian and White pork sirloins

Abstract

This paper applies the multifractal analysis based on the sandbox method to describe the distribution of fatty infiltration in Iberian and White pork meat with the aim of characterization and classification. This work was carried out by making photographs of sirloin cuts of both breeds and then treated with image analysis software. The obtained image data were stored in text format and constituted the input for multifractal analysis. The results obtained show that pork sirloin connective fatty tissue exhibits a multifractal type of scaling. Significant correlations were found between some of the parameters governing the multifractal behavior and fat percentage, especially in the case of Iberian sirloin. The differences found for the relationships between the generalized fractal dimensions and fat percentage provide information for the categorization of the studied meat pieces.