Principles of ultrasound and measurement of intramuscular fat.

A review of basic engineering concepts of ultrasound is presented for the layperson with implications toward the use of ultrasound on beef animals. The use of ultrasound for determining quality traits such as percentage of intramuscular fat is discussed in detail. Results of both A-mode and B-mode preliminary investigations are presented. Preliminary results show that intramuscular fat may be predicted using an A-mode transducer coupled with frequency analysis.