Image analysis – Applications – Animal – plant – or food inspection
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-09
2003-07-01
Boudreau, Leo (Department: 2621)
Image analysis
Applications
Animal, plant, or food inspection
C250S458100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06587575
ABSTRACT:
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
A Microfiche Appendix containing 1 Microfiche containing 71 frames is included.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to imaging systems for detecting contamination on foods. The imaging systems can be used, for example, for real-time detection of fecal and ingesta on meat and poultry carcasses which may be present when carcasses are being processed. The systems include both hyperspectral and multispectral imaging systems including apparatus, methods, and computer readable mediums.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microbial pathogens in food cause an estimated 76 million cases of human illnesses and up to 5,000 deaths annually, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Mead et al. Emerging Infectious Diseases 5(5) 607-625, 1999). In 1996, the USDA Economic Research Service reported that the annual cost of the food-borne illnesses caused by six common bacterial pathogens: Campylobacter spp.,
Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli
O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and
Staphylococcus aureus
; ranges from 2.9 billion to 6.7 billion dollars. The foods most likely to cause these illnesses are animal products such as red meat, poultry and eggs, seafood, and dairy products.
Contamination of meat and poultry in particular, with many bacterial food-borne pathogens, can occur as a result of exposure of the animal carcass to ingesta and/or fecal material during or after slaughter. Accordingly, in order to minimize the likelihood of such contamination, it has been necessary to examine each food item individually to detect the presence of contaminants. Historically, such inspection has been performed visually by U.S.D.A. inspectors, who examine each individual food item as it passes through the processing system.
With poultry, for example, in a modern poultry processing plant, carcasses are placed on shackles of a processing line conveyor system for dressing and inspection. Typically, such conveyors operate at speeds of up to 140 carcasses per minute, with a six inch separation between shackles holding carcasses. Even with multiple inspectors continuously performing such inspection, as little as two seconds are allotted for the inspection of each carcass.
During this inspection period, the inspector is required to check for evidence of eight different diseases as well as for certain quality characteristics, to verify that the chicken was alive when placed on the production line, and to check for evidence of ingesta or fecal contamination. Moreover, during a typical business day operating in two eight hour shifts, a productive poultry processing plant may produce as many as 250,000 processed chickens.
After slaughter, each carcass is examined for disease or evidence of contamination that would render all or part of the carcass unfit for human consumption. Currently the meat processing industry relies upon a variety of methods for the inspection of animal carcasses. These methods typically include human visual inspection, microbiological culture analysis, bioluminescent ATP-based assays, and antibody-based microbiological tests. Unfortunately, these procedures are labor intensive, time consuming, and do not meet the needs of the meat processing industry for an accurate high speed, non-invasive method that is amenable to inspection and real-time analysis.
It is apparent from this brief description that the historical inspection of meat carcases by human inspectors is problematic, and that it is poorly suited to the effective detection and elimination of contaminants in modern poultry processing plants. In particular, it requires the inspectors to make a subjective determination repeatedly. Such a system is prone to errors, which can lead to the entry of contaminated poultry products into the commercial distribution system.
In 1994, the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) published a proposed rule, “Enhanced Poultry Inspection” (USDA, Proposed Rule, Fed. Reg. Volume 59, 35659, 1994) to clarify and strengthen the FSIS's zero-tolerance policy for visible fecal contamination on poultry carcasses. Prior to this rule, FSIS ensured removal of all visible fecal contamination subsequent to postmortem inspection through off-line reinspection, direct on-line observations by an inspector, and application of finished product standards (FPS). Any bird found to be contaminated with feces was set aside for rework or condemnation. The proposed Enhanced Poultry Inspection rule removed “feces” from the list of defects in the FPS.
Since the proposed rule was published, FSIS has adopted the Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Systems (USDA, Final Rule, Fed. Reg., Volume 61, 28805-38855, 1996). The Pathogen Reduction/HACCP system superceded the provisions of the Enhanced Poultry Inspection rule. However, FSIS determined that the zero fecal tolerance provision would complement the Pathogen Reduction/HACCP regulations. Therefore, FSIS finalized the zero fecal tolerance provision of the Enhanced Poultry Inspection proposal (USDA, Final Rule, Fed. Reg., Volume 62, 5139-5143, 1997).
The HACCP regulations require meat processing establishments to identify all food safety hazards likely to occur in a specific process, and to identify critical control points adequate to prevent them. Zero tolerance for visible fecal contamination is a standard that has been implemented by FSIS, forcing poultry processing plants to adopt some point in the evisceration process as a critical control point under HACCP regulations which can be achieved by control, and therefore, is consistent with the HACCP framework. If evisceration machinery is not adjusted properly, the digestive tract of the bird may be torn during evisceration and its contents may leak onto the carcass. In meat processing establishments, fecal contamination of carcasses is a food safety hazard because of its link to microbiological contamination and food borne illness (USDA, 1997, supra). Pathogens may reside in fecal material and ingesta, both within the gastrointestinal tract and on the exterior surface of animals going to slaughter. Therefore, without proper procedures during slaughter and processing, the edible portions of the carcass can become contaminated with bacteria capable of causing illness in humans. Preventing carcasses with visible fecal and ingesta contamination from entering the chlorinated ice water bath (chiller) is critical for preventing cross-contamination of other carcasses. Thus, the final carcass wash, before entering the chiller, has been adopted by many poultry processors as a HACCP system critical control point for preventing cross-contamination of other carcasses.
Compliance with zero tolerance in meat processing establishments is currently verified by visual observation. Three criteria are used for identifying fecal contamination (USDA, 1997, supra). These are color, consistency, and composition. In general, fecal material color ranges from varying shades of yellow to green, brown and white; the consistency of feces is usually semi-solid to paste; and the composition of feces may include plant material. Inspectors use these guidelines to verify that establishments prevent carcasses with visible fecal contamination from entering the chillers. me Visual inspection is both labor intensive and prone to both human error and variability. In addition, there has been a dramatic increase in water usage in most plants as a result of the zero-tolerance fecal standard. Plants have nearly doubled their previous water usage and nationwide the usage has increased an estimated 2 billion gallons (Jones, Poultry, Volume 6, 38-41, 1999).
Efforts have been made to develop automated or semiautomated visual inspection systems for detecting the presence of contaminants on food products during processing. Most systems utilize a technique in which the food item is irradiated with light having a frequency, for example, in the UV range, such that it causes the emission of fluorescent radiation upon striking fecal matter or ingest
Heitschmidt Jerry
Lanoue Mark A.
Lawrence Kurt C.
Martinez Luis A.
Park Bosoon
Boudreau Leo
Choobin Barry
Fado John D.
Poulos Gail E.
Silverstein M. Howard
LandOfFree
Method and system for contaminant detection during food... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and system for contaminant detection during food..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and system for contaminant detection during food... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3085905