Inside Iowa State
August 11, 2000
Meat detector earns R&D 100 award
A method for detecting fecal contamination on fresh meat, developed by researchers at Iowa State and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has been awarded a 2000 R&D 100 Award. The new method could help industry meet safety regulations designed to control disease-causing bacteria.
The laser-induced fluorescent spectroscopy technique was developed by associate professor of chemistry Jacob Petrich and ARS microbiologists Mark Rasmussen and Tom Casey. A prototype commercial device called the SCAT scanner, uses the technique to assure that meat is free of contaminants.
The new R&D 100 Award brings Iowa State's total to 22 awards since 1984. The R&D 100 Awards, given by R&D Magazine, are the only awards for applied science and scientists. They have been called the "Oscars of applied science" by the Chicago Tribune.
The Iowa State-ARS inspection method is based on visible light fluorescent spectroscopy, which can detect fecal or ingesta contamination by a characteristic glow contaminants give off when illuminated with light at a specific wavelength. The method is non-contact -- eliminating the possibility for cross contamination -- and removes much of the guess work of visual inspections. After detection, the contaminated carcass could be sanitized before the contamination spreads.
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