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Volume 4, Issue 4 :: Jan — Feb 2000 . . |
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2001 Project Proposals Due February 2 Project proposals for the FY 2001 Research Program are due February 2 (the proposal format is available on the Web at foodpac.gatech.edu). The Technical Committees as well as the Steering Committee will meet during mid-February to early April to review and meritoriously select proposals within FoodPAC’s three research thrusts: Environmental, Food Safety, and Process and Product Competitiveness. An estimated $1.694 million in general funds and $600,000 in bond funds are available for distribution. The FY 2000 Call for Program Proposals attracted 25 proposals, including 13 Process and Product Competitiveness, 7 Environmental, and 5 Food Safety projects. These proposals requested funding totaling $4,434,253. FoodPAC later selected 13 proposals for funding at a total level of $1.394 million. Five of the projects were in the Process and Product Competitiveness area, five in the Environmental area, and three in the Food Safety area.  Fiscal Year 1999—2000 Report to Industry FoodPAC’s Fiscal Year 1999—2000 Report to Industry is now available. The report gives an overview of the Traditional Industries Program, provides the FoodPAC organizational chart and calendar of events, highlights the research results of 12 projects conducted during FY 1999 as well as activity plans for FY 2000, and gives a detailed listing of the FY 2000 program projects with contact information. The report is available to all members of Georgia’s food processing industry, and can be obtained by calling Sheron Meyers at (404) 894-3412 or e-mail sheron.meyers@gtri.gatech.edu.
Remember… Submit comments and story ideas to Angela Colar, Editor at (404) 894-3412 or angela.colar@gtri.gatech.edu The Food Chain is a publication of the Food Processing Technology Division, Georgia Tech Research Institute. |
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– Project Spotlight – Application of an I.O. Biosensor: Approach for Detecting Foodborne Microbial Pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli, and Salmonella Species) During Slaughtering and Processing of Poultry FoodPAC sponsored this FY 1999 project that focused on developing a prototype bacterial sensing device applicable to in-plant use. Researchers independently evaluated “field” samples supplied by Gold Kist Inc. and performed in-plant testing of the prototype system at Gold Kist’s poultry processing plant in Carrollton, Georgia.
Current methods and tools for detecting and identifying low-level concentrations of bacteria in poultry products typically require anywhere from 24 hours to a few days. The long time frames are the results of low detection sensitivity for the testing methods, the very low concentration levels typically encountered in poultry processing applications, and the requirement for incubating the samples to grow the concentrations to detectable levels. Upper limits on typical contamination levels within a poultry processing facility are projected to be in the 10 to 100 cfu/ml range. In practice, the concentrations could be as low as 1 cell per mm2 surface area or 1 cell per 25 grams of product. Analytical tools are capable of detecting pathogens at very low concentrations; however, the laboratory analytical systems are quite expensive and also require considerable analysis time. Real-time, on-line testing is therefore not practical. To realize the goals of rapid testing within a food processing facility requires a highly sensitive and cost-effective instrument. An integrated optic transducer incorporating enzymatic and immunoassay-based chemistries offers the potential for a highly sensitive and cost-effective field-portable instrument. Project Activities and Outcomes
The biosensor relies on the combination of a highly sensitive IO ammonia detector system and immunoassay/enzymatic-based chemistries. In this process, an enzyme (urease) acts as a catalyst, converting a specific substrate (urea) to a specific product (ammonia). Implementing a sandwich assay on glass beads, a urease-labeled antibody is introduced to a surface-bound antigen. This complex is exposed to urea, generating ammonia. The enhanced sensing capability is the result of several factors, including a) the ability of the IO sensor to detect NH3 at the low ppbv range, b) the continuous generation of NH3 in the presence of urea (thus the signal from small numbers of pathogens can be enhanced), c) concentration of NH3 at the IO waveguide sensing surface, and d) the improved capture efficiency of the bead matrix versus that of a planar optical waveguide surface. This method offers, in effect, an electronic ELISA with rapid response due to outstanding sensitivity. The prototype instrument developed in this program is packaged as a unit that is 2 x 3 x 9 inches. The actual sensing chip is only 0.06 x 0.5 x 1.5 inches and incorporates 13 sensing channels, implying multiple target antigens could be sensed. The output signal from the device is directly observed by using a laptop computer to display the signal in real time. The samples input to the instrument is based on a small cartridge containing beads and reagents. The ammonia generated through the enzymatic reaction is extracted from the cartridge and delivered to the waveguide surface. The sensing element is reusable, with the test cartridge being the replaceable element. The latter is important as device operation is simple, requiring insertion of a new cartridge into the instrument. Testing and development are continuing with the goal of completing trials under field conditions. Information for this Project Spotlight was extracted from FoodPAC’s FY 1999—2000 Report to Industry. Project leaders: Nile Hartman and Paul Edmonds, Georgia Tech. Project Participants: Daniel Campbell, Janet Cobb, and Stanton Halpern, Georgia Tech; Todd Fickel, Gold Kist Inc. |
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