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Title: DETECTION OF CONTAMINANTS ON POULTRY PROCESSING PLANT EQUIPMENT USING LASER-INDUCED FLUORESCENCE IMAGING

Author
item Kim, Moon
item Cho, Byoung Kwan
item Chao, Kuanglin - Kevin Chao
item Lefcourt, Alan
item LIU, YONGLING - VISITING SCI., ISL, ANRI
item Chen, Yud

Submitted to: Key Engineering Materials
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2006
Publication Date: 10/1/2006
Citation: Kim, M.S., Cho, B., Chao, K., Lefcourt, A.M., Liu, Y., Chen, Y.R. 2006. Detection of contaminants on poultry processing plant equipment using laser-induced fluorescence imaging. Key Engineering Materials. 321-323:1157-1162.

Interpretive Summary: There is a need for reliable optical sensing systems that can be employed in food processing plants for detection of contamination due to animal feces and ingesta. We used a recently developed laser-induced fluorescence imaging system (LIFIS) to demonstrate the potential use of fluorescence techniques for detection of a range of diluted poultry fecal matter from various sections of the digestive tract, including gizzard, duodenum, small intestine, ceca, and colon, on processing plant equipment. The advantage of the current LIFIS is that it allows tunable excitation in the visible with the selection of interchangeable emission wavebands for multispectral imaging. Thus, both fluorescence excitation and emission parameters can be optimized (e.g., 415 nm excitation, and 580 and 630 nm emission bands) for detection of poultry fecal matter on the surfaces of processing plant equipment. The results showed that 1:5 and 1:10 diluted fecal samples could be detected with 100% detection rates at 580 and 630 nm emission bands regardless of feces types. Detection rates for 1:50 and 1:100 diluted samples at the 580-nm band were 96.0 and 89.3%, respectively, and those at the 630-nm band were 94.7 and 84.0%, respectively. Presented are sensing systems and methodologies useful to food scientists, engineers, regulatory government agencies (FSIS and FDA), and food processing industries.

Technical Abstract: Fluorescence techniques have demonstrated great potential for detection of the presence of fecal and other biological substances that can harbor pathogens. We used a recently developed laser-induced fluorescence imaging system (LIFIS) to demonstrate the potential use of fluorescence techniques for detection of a range of diluted poultry fecal matter from various sections of the digestive tract, including gizzard, duodenum, small intestine, ceca, and colon, on processing plant equipment. The use of the LIFIS allowed tunable excitation in the visible with selection of emission wavebands for multispectral imaging. Thus, both fluorescence excitation and emission parameters can be optimized (e.g., 415 nm excitation, and 580 and 630 nm emission bands). The results showed that 1:5 and 1:10 diluted feces samples could be detected with 100% detection rates at the 580 and 630 nm emission bands regardless of feces types. Detection rates for 1:50 and 1:100 diluted samples at the 580-nm band were 96.0 and 89.3%, respectively, and those at the 630-nm band were 94.7 and 84.0%, respectively. Even minute amounts of poultry fecal matter on processing plant equipment surfaces, not clearly visible to the human eye, could be detected.