FoodPAC Announces FY 2007 Research Program

The Steering Committee has approved a total of 13 projects for FY 2007 funding at a combined amount of $1,005,123 (bond funds were not available due to state budget cuts). The projects address a research priority in one of FoodPAC’s three technical focus areas and are divided as follows: 5 in Process & Product Improvement, 4 in Food Safety & Health, and 4 in Environmental. The projects (grouped under their respective technical focus area), principal investigator/institution, and their individual funding amounts are listed below.

Process & Product Improvement

Radio-Frequency Pre-Heating of Marinated Boneless Chicken Meat – New Project
Principal Investigator: Romeo Toledo, University of Georgia
FY 2007 Funding: $30,800

Thermal and Visible Sensing for Process Control of Microwave & Conventional Cooking – New Project
Principal Investigator: Doug Britton, Georgia Tech Research Institute
FY 2007 Funding: $114,821

Imaging and Oven Control Development for Bottom Color of Baked Goods – New Project
Principal Investigator: Doug Britton, Georgia Tech Research Institute
FY 2007 Funding: $100,077

Portion and Process Control – Continuation Project
Principal Investigator: Wayne Daley, Georgia Tech Research Institute
FY 2007 Funding: $98,759

Robotic Packing of Trays – Continuation Project
Principal Investigator: Gary McMurray, Georgia Tech Research Institute
FY 2007 Funding: $50,000

Food Safety & Health

Measuring the Health-Promoting Components in Peanuts and Peanut Products – Continuation Project
Principal Investigator: Ronald Eitenmiller, University of Georgia
FY 2007 Funding: $85,500

The Use of Muscadine and Blueberry Polyphenolics to Inhibit Rancidity and Pathogen Growth in Chicken Dark Meat – Continuation Project
Principal Investigator: R. Dixon Phillips, University of Georgia
FY 2007 Funding: $73,500

Use of Multiphase Antimicrobial/Modified Atmosphere Packaging Material/Technology to Control the Safety and Quality of Processed, Ready-to-Eat Meats – New Project
Principal Investigator: Jinru Chen, University of Georgia
FY 2007 Funding: $75,000

Automated Detection of Liner Material – New Project
Principal Investigator: John Stewart, Georgia Tech Research Institute
FY 2007 Funding: $64,782

Environmental

The Development of Uses for Eggshells as an Alternative to Landfill – Continuation Project
Principal Investigator: Jeff Hsieh, Georgia Institute of Technology
FY 2007 Funding: $104,285

Stormwater Runoff from Poultry Processing: A Cost-Effective Strategy for Defining the Relationship Between Suspended Solids and Fecal Coliform Concentrations – New Project
Principal Investigator: John Pierson, Georgia Tech Research Institute
FY 2007 Funding: $55,279

Development of Alternative Fuels from Improved Food Processing Wastewater Streams – New Project
Principal Investigator: Daniel Fletcher, University of Georgia
FY 2007 Funding: $88,320

The Treatment and Recovery of Poultry Processing Wastewater Using a Membrane Bioreactor – Continuation Project
Principal Investigator: Rakesh Singh, University of Georgia
FY 2007 Funding: $64,000

FoodPAC Welcomes Its Newest Committee Coordinators/Members

FoodPAC welcomes the following individuals who have volunteered their time and expertise to serve as committee coordinators or members.

Steering Committee Coordinators

Andrew Dollar
Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget

Deborah Lohnes
Georgia Department of Economic Development

Environmental Technical Committee Member

Brad Cashaw
The Quaker Oats Co.

Industrial Partners: A Closer Look

As a part of Georgia’s Traditional Industries Program, FoodPAC was designed to bring industry leaders and university-based researchers together to develop and implement practical solutions to improve industrial competitiveness. FoodPAC’s industrial partners represent companies across the food manufacturing sector, ranging from fruits and vegetables to beef and poultry. In each issue, The Food Chain will take a closer look at one of these partners.

Introducing...Tyson Foods, Inc.

Tyson Foods, Inc. [NYSE: TSN], founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork; the second-largest food company in the Fortune 500; and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products, which are marketed under the “Powered by Tyson™” strategy. Tyson is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves, providing products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 80 countries. The company has approximately 114,000 Team Members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct, and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers, and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment, and serve as stewards of the animals, land, and environment entrusted to it. For more information, visit Tyson Foods online at www.tyson.com.

Project Spotlight

Overline Imaging System for Detecting Foreign Object Material on Food Processing Lines

The automated detection system recently concluded a six-month field study in a fully cooked processing plant. During the study, the system did not find any foreign material in the product stream, and other plant quality control checks also indicated no foreign material incidents while the system was operating.

Plastic is commonly used by food processing operations in liners for containers, disposable gloves, food testing instruments, hearing protection, identity badges, conveyor parts, and guides along conveyors. Despite extensive safeguards, these items or small fragments of them sometimes make their way into the product stream and end up in the finished product. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find plastics once they enter the high volume flow of a commercial food production line.

This ongoing FoodPAC project, led by principal investigator John Stewart of the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Food Processing Technology Division, is focused on developing an automated detection system.

“ To help detect foreign material in products on food processing lines, most producers currently use plastic items with colors that stand out from the product stream in hopes that an employee will find the items. The goal of our research is to build a color vision system that will automatically detect and then remove these colored objects from the food stream,” explains Stewart.

And Stewart and his team have done just that. Using computer vision technology along with sophisticated software algorithms, the team has developed an overline imaging system that is proving viable at detecting plastic fragments that have become lodged in finished product.

The team’s prototype system uses a blue color scheme to detect foreign objects. The system concept is simple. An overline vision system is installed at an appropriate point in the process, typically next to the final metal detection cell. The vision system is trained using color discrimination algorithms by passing unadulterated product under it. The information on the product appearance is then stored in a product dependent profile, which can be called up remotely as the product mix on the line changes. Once the training mode is complete, the vision system looks for any object that does not match the product profile. If the system detects a problem, it sounds an alarm, saves a picture of the problem product, and activates a product kickoff device. If the system is placed next to a metal detector, it is possible the two systems can share the same kickoff device.

The team recently completed a six-month field study of the system in a fully cooked processing plant. The system was installed between two metal detectors and operated unattended. One of the biggest problems encountered during the study, says Stewart, was that false alarm rates were high. The team found that shadows between densely packed product on the belt and interaction with the edge of the belt attributed to the false alarms. The shadows problem was addressed by modifying the processing algorithms, which reduced the number of false alarms to about three to four per hour for diced chicken product. Stewart says the belt edge problem can be eliminated with better camera alignment. Overall, the system did not find any foreign material in the product stream, and other plant quality control checks also indicated no foreign material incidents while the system was operating.

“ The detection of foreign objects and contaminants in food is a critical safety task. With the amount of automation present at every level of food production and the rates at which food is being produced, it is becoming increasingly more important to have systems that can automatically detect foreign matter along the way,” comments Stewart.

“ A computer vision system is much more effective at this task than human observers. First, the vision system continuously watches the product stream and does not become distracted or daydream like a human observer. Second, the vision system can freeze motion on a relatively high-speed belt, and its resolution can be specifically tailored for the observation task at hand,” adds Stewart.

According to Stewart, these capabilities allow the system to operate on a high-speed line that can separate the product and present more surface area for screening. And, he says, by automating the detection process, there is a digital record of any foreign objects detected that can aid in identifying the point where the material entered the process.

In FY 2007, the team will evaluate a second technique specifically for finding transparent or semitransparent liner material in food streams. Although the current color system does a good job finding blue-tinted liner in diced chicken products, it does not perform well when the liner material is embedded in a more colorful product like coated chicken wings or beef. The second technique uses a USDA-approved marker added to the liner during the manufacturing process to make the liner material easier for the vision system to see.

Remember to Visit FoodPAC on the Web Visit

FoodPAC at www.foodpac.gatech.edu to access previous issues of The Food Chain, FoodPAC Annual Reports and to learn more about FoodPAC and Georgia’s food industry.

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