Device and method to determine the quality of a meat product

1. System to determine the quality of a meat product, characterized in that it comprises:

an identifying element comprising a chip that identifies each meat product by means of the emission or reception of an identifying signal of the meat product, wherein said identifying signal comprises at least predetermined puncture requirements and/or a puncture depth (z i ) in the meat product, and

a device comprising:

positioning means configured to displace a head, wherein said positioning means comprise a robot with six degrees of freedom, and

a head is disposed at one end of said positioning means, and wherein said head comprises an insertion element configured to be inserted inside said meat product at a predetermined puncture depth (z i ), and measure at least a pH signal in a predetermined measurement point (x i , y i , z i ), a predetermined puncture point (x i , y i ) being in accordance with a prior analysis of the anatomy of said meat product ( 5 ) by means of an artificial vision device that determines the puncture point (x i , y i ) in accordance with the predetermined puncture requirements and anatomy of the meat product and wherein said head comprises a piston with a buffer configured to insert the insertion element inside said meat product to a predetermined puncture depth (z i ).

2. System according to claim 1 , wherein said positioning means are configured, in addition to being positioned in a puncture point (x i , y i ), to be able to displace in a synchronized manner with transport means of the meat product, so that, during the puncture time (t), said insertion element is inserted a puncture depth (z i ) of said meat product.

3. System according to any of the preceding claims , wherein said insertion element comprises a pH sensor configured to measure the pH in the measurement point (x i , y i , z i ) of the meat product.

4. System according to claim 3 , wherein said pH sensor comprises an electrode.

5. System according to any of the preceding claims , wherein said head further comprises a calibration element of the pH sensor of the insertion element to guarantee correct measurement of the pH.

6. System according to claim 1 , wherein the robot has arms that are articulated so that they rotate with respect to axes by the action of servomotors which allow positioning and displacing the head to the desired positions.

7. System according to claim 1 , wherein the head has a mechanism to detect the breakage of the end of the insertion element, wherein the mechanism to detect the breakage comprises staples, located in in the surrounding area of the insertion element to secure two optical fiber cables, opposite one another and located one on each side of the end of the insertion element, wherein these optical fiber cables make a light beam circulate which is interrupted by the tip of the insertion element, and in the event of breakage of the tip of the insertion element, the light beam is no longer interrupted, activating a warning signal to change said insertion element.

8. System according to claim 1 , wherein said insertion element comprises an end to penetrate in said puncture point (x i , y i ) of the meat product.

9. System according to claim 3 , further comprising transmission means of the pH signal obtained by the pH sensor towards a data structure and/or towards the identifying element.

10. System according to claim 9 , wherein said transmission means (X) between the insertion element and said data structure and/or towards the identifying element are by means of an electric and/or radiofrequency signal.

11. Method to determine the quality of a meat product by means of a system according to any of claims 1 to 5 and 6 to 10 , comprising the stages of:

a) identifying the meat product by means of an identifying element comprising a chip that emits or receives an identifying signal of said meat product, wherein said identifying signal comprises at least a puncture point (x i , y i ) or a puncture depth (z i ) predetermined requirements in the meat product,

b) displacing, by means of positioning means, a head from a resting position to a predetermined puncture point (x i , y i ) in accordance with the predetermined puncture requirements and puncture depth (z i ) comprised in the identifying signal of the meat product, wherein said positioning means comprises a robot with six degrees of freedom,

c) inserting, by means of actuation means, an insertion element inside the meat product to the predetermined puncture depth (z i ) in accordance with the predetermined puncture requirements and puncture depth (z i ) comprised in the identifying signal of the meat product,

d) maintaining said insertion element in the measurement point (x i , y i , z i ) of said meat product for a predetermined puncture time (t i ), to measure at least a pH signal of the meat product,

e) transmitting, by means of transmission means, at least the pH signal of said meat product in a measurement point (x i , y i , z i ) to a data structure and/or to the identifying element,

f) extracting, by means of the actuation means, said insertion element from inside said meat product, and

g) displacing, by means of positioning means, the head from a puncture point (x i , y i ) to a resting position.

12. Method according to claim 11 , wherein before stage a), the following stages are performed:

a′) analysing the anatomy of said meat product by means of an artificial vision device, and

a″) determining the puncture point (x i , y i ) in accordance with predetermined puncture requirements and/or puncture depth (z i ) given by an identifying signal of said meat product.

13. Method according to claim 11 , wherein stage d) includes the stage of:

d1) converting the pH signal of the meat product to a value of the pH scale for the degree of acidity.

14. Method according to claim 12 , wherein stage d) includes the stage of:

d1) converting the pH signal of the meat product to a value of the pH scale for the degree of acidity.

15. Method according to claim 11 , wherein said positioning means are configured, in addition to being positioned in a puncture point (x i , y i ), to be able to displace in a synchronized manner with transport means of the meat product, so that during the puncture time (t i ) said insertion element is removably inserted to a puncture depth (z i ) of said meat product.

16. Method according to claim 11 , wherein the puncture time (t i ) is between 4 and 10 seconds.

17. Method according to claim 11 , wherein said meat product is a meat of an animal selected from beef, pork, ox, horse, ostrich, chicken, duck, goose, quail, partridge, turkey, rabbit, sheep, lamb, goat.

18. Method according to claim 17 , wherein said meat product is a pork half carcass.