ANYONE worried about whether they are buying a horseburger or a hamburger might soon have a solution.

Oxford Instruments is trialling new technology, called Pulsar Products, that can determine what type of animal a particular piece of meat came from.

“It can detect different species of meat,” said chief executive officer Jonathan Flint.

The “magnetic resonance analyser” is currently being trialled with the Food Standards Agency in the UK.

The provenance of meat has become a major concern following the so-called Horsegate scandal last year when horse meat was found to be present in what was being sold as beef.

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Mr Flint, speaking on Tuesday after the release of Oxford Instruments’ first half results for 2014-15, said the company was also aiming to build new markets in the expanding area of environmental compliance. “Compliance with environmental legislation is a big concern for us,” he said.

For example, the company’s X-MET8000, which was launched in September 2014, beams X-rays to read materials, such as metals for recycling. Mr Flint likens the technology to the tricorder in the cult TV series Star Trek.

Oxford Instruments, based at Tubney Woods, near Abingdon, which specialises in high-technology tools and systems, recorded a 7.3 per cent increase in revenue for the first half to £178.5m, which was boosted by the Andor Technology acquisition in January 2014.

Adjusted operating profit fell 14.1 per cent compared to the previous corresponding period (pcp) to £18.9m.

This was partially affected by foreign exchange, predominantly the US dollar and Japanese Yen.

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Chief executive Jonathan Flint

Adjusted earnings per share was 20.9 pence, down from 28.6 pence in the pcp, while the company declared an interim dividend of 3.7 pence per share, up from 3.36 pence.

The company experienced improved trading conditions in North America, where order growth was up 28.7 per cent, and Europe, up 12.7 per cent. However, this was offset by orders dropping 13.8 per cent in Asia, reflecting weaker demand in Japan.

The company recorded net debt of £137.5m at September 30, 2014.

Group finance director Kevin Boyd said in terms of guidance: “We expect the second half to be much stronger than the first half. We expect the full-year performance to be at the lower end of [market] expectations.”

Oxford Instruments, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, was one of the first commercial spin-outs from the University of Oxford, and develops scientific applications for research and industry.

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