Automated detection of fecal contamination of apples by multispectral laser-induced fluorescence imaging

Animal feces are a suspected source of contamination of apples by disease-causing organisms such as Echerichia coli O157. Laser-induced fluorescence was used to detect different amounts of feces from dairy cows, deer, and a dairy pasture applied to Red Delicious apples. One day after application, de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied optics (2004) Vol. 42; no. 19; p. 3935
Main Authors Lefcourt, Alan M, Kim, Moon S, Chen, Yud-Ren
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.07.2003
Subjects
Animals
Cattle
Color
Disinfection - methods
Equipment Design
Equipment Failure Analysis
Feasibility Studies
Feces - chemistry
Food Contamination - analysis
Food Handling - methods
Fruit - chemistry
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods
Lasers
Malus - chemistry
Quality Control
Reference Values
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Spectrometry, Fluorescence - instrumentation
Spectrometry, Fluorescence - methods
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Summary:Animal feces are a suspected source of contamination of apples by disease-causing organisms such as Echerichia coli O157. Laser-induced fluorescence was used to detect different amounts of feces from dairy cows, deer, and a dairy pasture applied to Red Delicious apples. One day after application, detection for 1:2 and 1:20 dilutions was nearly 100%, and for 1:200 dilutions (<15 ng of dry matter) detection was >80%. Detection after apples had been washed and brushed was lowest for pasture feces; detection for 1:2, 1:20, and 1:200 dilutions of feces was 100%, 30%, and 0%, respectively. This technology may encourage development of commercial systems for detecting fecal contamination of apples.
ISSN:1559-128X
2155-3165
DOI:10.1364/AO.42.003935