Handheld Multispectral Fluorescence Imaging System to Detect and Disinfect Surface Contamination.

Mitchell Sueker,Insuck Baek,Fartash Vasefi,Nicholas Mackinnon,Diane E Chan,Stanislav Sokolov,Alireza Akhbardeh,Kouhyar Tavakolian,Moon S Kim,Jianwei Qin,Hamed Taheri Gorji,Taylor Schmit,Nadeem Khan,Kristen Stromsodt,Rangati Varma,Bo Liang

doi:10.3390/s21217222

Mitchell Sueker, Insuck Baek + Show 14 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/s21217222

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Abstract

Contamination inspection is an ongoing concern for food distributors, restaurant owners, caterers, and others who handle food. Food contamination must be prevented, and zero tolerance legal requirements and damage to the reputation of institutions or restaurants can be very costly. This paper introduces a new handheld fluorescence-based imaging system that can rapidly detect, disinfect, and document invisible organic residues and biofilms which may host pathogens. The contamination, sanitization inspection, and disinfection (CSI-D) system uses light at two fluorescence excitation wavelengths, ultraviolet C (UVC) at 275 nm and violet at 405 nm, for the detection of organic residues, including saliva and respiratory droplets. The 275 nm light is also utilized to disinfect pathogens commonly found within the contaminated residues. Efficacy testing of the neutralizing effects of the ultraviolet light was conducted for Aspergillus fumigatus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and the influenza A virus (a fungus, a bacterium, and a virus, respectively, each commonly found in saliva and respiratory droplets). After the exposure to UVC light from the CSI-D, all three pathogens experienced deactivation (> 99.99%) in under ten seconds. Up to five-log reductions have also been shown within 10 s of UVC irradiation from the CSI-D system.

Highlights

Sanitation inspection is an ongoing concern for food distributors, restaurant owners, and others within the food industry
All U.S meat, poultry, and egg processing establishments are regulated by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and are required to have Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs)
For the first time, we introduce a fast, convenient, and easy-to-use handheld system for “contamination, sanitization inspection, and disinfection (CSI-D)” that enables the rapid detection of saliva and respiratory droplets, and other organic residues that are present in kitchens, dining areas, and food processing facilities

Summary

Introduction

Sanitation inspection is an ongoing concern for food distributors, restaurant owners, and others within the food industry. These individuals must prevent potential contamination and infection from spreading among workers and to consumers. SSOPs are written procedures that the establishment develops and implements to prevent the direct contamination of food products. It is an establishment’s responsibility to execute the procedures as written in the SSOPs. Each establishment must maintain a daily documentation of the application and monitoring of the SSOPs, as well as any necessary corrective action. It is critically important to maintain the required documents as evidence of SSOP compliance and keep these up to date

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