A Low-Cost Pathogen Detection System for Food Safety

Food safety is a global problem, which costs the world billions of dollars and over a million lives annually. Access Sensor Technologies proposes to develop a rapid, low-cost, easy to use system for the measurement of food borne pathogens. The proposed kit builds off of patent-pending technology that will deliver exceptional ease-of-use as well as performance metrics (time, cost, labor) exceeding the current gold standard methods (traditional culture and PCR). By delivering a complete pathogen detection solution, the kit will enable more testing locations and a higher frequency of testing. In addition, the kit is designed to be low-cost from the beginning so entire new segments of food processors may adopt the technology where currently it is not economically feasible to do so, such as rural fruit and vegetable producers that operate only seasonally. Commercial applications of the technology will find a global customer base as current laboratory microbiology tests are cumbersome, expensive and time consuming.The technology proposed by AST will support several of the USDA strategic goals. Low-cost pathogen detection enables American agricultural success by reducing food safety risk which is a central business risk to small co-operatives and independent rural operators that may be unable to survive the crippling financial impact of a single food borne illness outbreak originating from their operations. Economic stability is the result of driving down risks across all areas of business (e.g. finance risk, operations risk, personnel risk, market risk, climate risk). The ultimate goal of a low-cost product that can ensure greater food safety supports USDA strategic goals one, three, and for as outlined in the USDA Strategic Plan.