Processors could gain from meat freshness
indicator
By Jane Byrne
25-Sep-2008 –
Source of Article: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Processors-could-gain-from-meat-freshness-indicator
A sensor that changes colour to indicate meat spoilage could prevent serious
illness and food waste, say the
Battelle
scientists John R. Shaw and Donald Zehnder have been
involved in a project for the past two years aimed at developing a ‘trap and
detect’ tool for embedding in meat packaging to warn retailers and consumers of
the presence of bacteria
that cause food spoilage.
“We
really wanted to come up with an idea whereby the consumer could look at the
package and instantly know that the meat product was fresh or spoiled,” said John Shaw.
Zehnder told
FoodProductionDaily.com that, following preliminary lab work, the team is at
the stage of designing a prototype sensor
and they have recently filed for a patent in relation to their chemical
detector.
According
to the two chemists, the project was prompted by what they felt was a lack of
safeguards in the food supply chain following the spinach linked E.
coli outbreak that killed three people and sickened more than 200 in
September 2006.
They
said their sensor could help reduce the risk of human illness or costly
recalls.
Changing
colour
Shaw
said that their sensor, using technology based on colour
metrics, changes from yellow to dark red when bacteria such as achromobacter and micrococcus have
contaminated the meat.
He
explained that the sensor is a synthetic molecule that binds with the material
that the spoilage bacteria emit when they feed on the meat, and when the
molecule and material bind the light they produce changes the colour of the sensor.
“The
project is initially concentrating on the detection of spoilage bacteria as we
have a good understanding of how they operate. However, we plan to fine tune
the sensor so that it can also indicate the presence of pathogens such as listeria and E. coli 0157:H7,” said Shaw.
He said
that the team is also evaluating how the sensor might be used in the detection
of allergens in food products.
Best
before
The
chemists said that tests have demonstrated that the detector is 200 to 400
times more sensitive that the human nose and can help in reducing food wastage:
“As a
result of its reliability for detecting spoilage bacteria, the sensor could
eliminate the need for best before dates. Currently best before dates are set
by manufacturers and are based on worst case assumptions. Most food is
perfectly fine to eat days after its displayed best before date,” claims Shaw.
The two
chemists would not be drawn on the composition of the detector, citing
confidentiality, but did reveal that it was a non-toxic, non-caustic organic
compound.
Commercial
prospects
They
said the sensor would not be undergoing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approval process for some time, but that they were hopeful the detector would
be commercially available within a two-year timeframe.
“We
have had a lot of interest already from meat producers and packaging suppliers
in terms of setting up a partnership to get the sensor market ready,” said Zehnder.
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