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A technology that could ultimately reduce deadly, food-borne bacteria, has been named a winner in the 38th annual R&D 100 Awards competition. The winning device is a real-time optical instrument designed to further enhance the safety of the American beef supply, according to Al Gapsch, vice president of Research & Development for eMerge Interactive, Inc., the technology's exclusive licensee. Using a combination of light at specific wavelengths and advanced electronics to scan raw meats, such as beef. It is designed to detect minute amounts of fecal matter, which can carry such pathogens as E.coli O157: H7. The patented technology was invented by a team of researchers that included microbiologists, Mark A. Rasmussen and Thomas A. Casey of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), along with Iowa State University chemist Jacob W. Petrich. " Today, the standard tools for reducing potential bacterial contamination are visual inspection and carcass cleaning coupled with microbiological carcass sampling," Gapsch said. "But the samples take time to evaluate. There is a need for a more accurate, real-time fecal-detection method to help packers further control the environment that hosts bacteria." American packers have done an excellent job of minimizing the presence of pathogens such as E.coli, Rasmussen emphasized. "Yet, if too many harmful bacteria remain when meat leaves the plant, improper handling or cooking will allow them to multiply, negating the most painstaking packing house safety measures." In tests at a midwestern beef-packing plant, Rasmussen added, the team's prototype device has demonstrated an excellent combination of sensitivity and speed. "But, we're still in the instrument-development state." Gapsch said the instrument may ultimately have a number of applications beyond the packing plant and wherever meats undergo subsequent processing or handling. The food-service industry, for example, could use small versions of the device to scan employees' hands before they come into contact with food, he said. |
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