Recognizing Marbling in Iberian Ham

The Iberian pig is an autochthonous animal bred from the south-western area of Spain. Dry-cured Iberian ham presents a special flavor, which makes it a very worthy product among consumers. Its special characteristics are mainly due to marbling and fat content. Currently, chemical procedure is the only proved way to evaluate fat content in Iberian ham. Nevertheless, food technology experts believe that marbling, i.e., number and size of intramuscular fat streaks, also influences its sensorial quality. In this study we focus on the detection and contour identification of fat streaks in digital Iberian ham images. A statistical study of the proposed methods