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A laser pierces the dome of a tiny bacterial colony, refracting the light onto a computer chip. Within moments, the device tells you exactly what type of bacteria it is.
Sound far-fetched? It's not. Arun Bhunia, professor of food science at Purdue University, and his team developed a technology that can identify a wide variety of food pathogens in a dramatically shorter time than is possible with current techniques—and at about a tenth the cost.
But this is just one innovation among many in the Department of Food Science that is not only useful but that has the potential to spur growth and create new jobs in the food processing and manufacturing industries.
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Purdue University researcher Arun Bhunia (right) and graduate student Karliegh Huff demonstrate a new technology that can quickly identify food pathogens. |
"One of our important goals in food science is to encourage growth in the food industry by sharing our expertise," says Suzanne Nielsen, food science department head. She explains that the department promotes food business opportunities in two ways. First, Purdue Extension staff and faculty often work directly with companies to help them solve problems and get their businesses started, and they regularly offer workshops to educate attendees on various topics relating to the food industry. Second, the department is home to a wide variety of research, much that promises to be successfully applied for use in food manufacturing or processing.
Bhunia's laser technology, for example, which works by analyzing the "scatter pattern" unique to each bacteria, could be used at virtually any point in the food manufacturing and distribution industries, an inviting possibility for a host of businesses.
"You could use the technology to identify pathogens when you are processing the food, before packaging, or even after shipping the product," he says. Bhunia is currently expanding the technology's "library" so that it is able to detect more and more pathogens. His research won the Purdue Agricultural Research Award in 2003 for the technology, which could also have applications in medicine and homeland security.
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Just as Bhunia's sensor promises to help keep products safe, the Department of Food Science's pilot plant helps companies develop safe manufacturing practices. Steve Smith, manager of the pilot lab, works directly with food companies to process or manufacture foods at a smaller scale, so that they may perfect the process before scaling up.
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