This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will greatly simplify and enhance the sensitivity of food inspection equipment. Toxins and pathogens, such as aflatoxin, T-2 toxin, zearalenone, E. coli 0157:H7, and salmonella, have been responsible for outbreaks of foodborne illness, some cases of which have been fatal. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) will develop novel photonic techniques for detecting such organisms, and reducing the time required for food testing. The novelty of the proposed method lies in its use of disposable dipstick tapered fiber optic sensors (optrodes), long lifetime chelates, and a highly sensitive optical system to detect a small number of toxins and organisms in juices/milk and preenrichment cultures. The multiple tapered fiber probes with in-situ multi-analyte `rapid` monitoring capability are designed for optimal optical delivery and collection efficiency, and for maximal detection sensitivity. Evanescent wave sensing and long lifetime chelate eliminate the fluorescence from the bulk sample, which is often the limiting factor of sensitivity. Food inspection will directly benefit from the unique characteristics of this approach (modified in-situ inspection, no biofouling, small sample size, minimal background, and high sensitivity), which give it specific advantages over existing chemical and biochemical sensing technologies. The Phase I project will focus on the feasibility demonstration of the proposed technology based on the detection of aflatoxin B I in solution. The proposed technique can be adapted to detect various biological materials in foods, including spoilage, pathogens, parasites, hormones, toxins, pesticides, and vitamins. The world food quality detection market is estimated to be $275M for 1995 and $475M by the year 2000, of which $15M and $100M, respectively, are expected to be directly addressed by on-line biosensors. The commercial potential of this device in health and environmental safety applications is immense. This technology also has potential for the detection of infectious agents such as HIV, staph, and ebola virus.
