This document presents a concept for a rapid pathogen detection device for poultry products. It begins with an introduction noting the large costs of foodborne illnesses in the US each year. The proposed solution would use isothermal PCR and fluorescence detection to identify pathogens in under an hour. The concept selection process involved identifying user needs, generating concepts, and selecting isothermal PCR as the leading approach. Material selection and considerations for manufacturing, design, sustainability, and the final product are then outlined. The proposed device could help improve food safety for producers and consumers.

1. Rapid Detection of Foodborne
Pathogens in Poultry
Christopher Lo
Keshav Swarup
Ryan Dwyer
Michael Davidson1

2. Overview
1. Introduction
2. Mission Statement
3. User Needs
4. Super Groups
5. Needs-metrics
6. Concepts
7. Material Selection
8. Design for Manufacturing
9. Industrial Design
10. Design for Sustainability
11. Final Product
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3. Introduction
Every year in the United States,
● 96 billion pounds of food loss
● 37 million illnesses
● >$14.0 billion cost
Lack of established standards or methods
● Current methods: extremely slow, labor intensive
● USDA FSIS: finalizing standards for bacteria
detection thresholds
3

4. 4
Introduction
Now
Before
B2B
B2C

5. Mission Statement
5
Product Description ● A solution for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens in poultry products
Benefit Proposition ● To better evaluate & monitor foodborne pathogen levels in poultry products
● To improve food safety & QA for poultry processing companies
● To minimize the health risk of foodborne illnesses for consumers
Key Business Goals ● First prototype within 1 year, total 1.5 years for scale-up
● Potential high upfront cost, discounted over time by low cost per use
● Low-volume manufacturing ⇒ high quality testing ⇒ USDA/FDA standards
● Environmentally-friendly
● Become industry standard for rapid, accurate foodborne pathogen detection
● 60% market share in pathogen testing equipment within food industry

6. Mission Statement
6
Primary Market ● Poultry producers (JBS S.A., Tyson Foods, BRF)
Secondary Markets ● Supermarkets and retailers (Kroger, Safeway, Publix)
● Consumers (Chefs and Home cooks)
Assumptions and
Constraints
● Foodborne pathogen detection technology
● Compatible with output communication software
● Ability to manufacture/sell product at an appealing price point
● Approval from FDA and USDA
Stakeholders ● Customers: Both primary/secondary market
● Investors: Food distributors, USDA FSIS
● Employees: Product designers, sales/marketing teams, manufacturing

7. User Needs
7

8. User Needs
8

9. Super Groups
9

10. Needs-Metrics
10

11. Concepts
11

12. Concepts
12

13. Concepts
13

14. Final Concept: Isothermal PCR
14
Recombinase Polymerase
Amplification (RPA)

15. 15
Testing Device
Final Concept: Testing
Fluorescence change over time
Elution
solution
Drawing
cartridge
Reaction
cartridge
Swab

16. Final Concept
16
Waste Chute

17. Material Selection
17
(1 worst, 4 best)
Housing Unit
Property Evaluation
Criteria
Weight
%
Stainless
steel Aluminum PP
Strength 15 4 4 2
Toughness 15 4 3 2
Impermeability 25 4 4 4
Non-toxic/inert/sterile 25 4 4 4
Manufacturability 10 3 3 4
Cost 10 1 2 4
Total 100 3.6 3.55 3.4
Swab (Tip)
Property Evaluation
Criteria Weight (%) Alginate Cotton Polyester
Specimen Absorption 15 4 3 4
Sterile 25 4 4 4
Bacterial
Amplification 25 3 1 3
Specimen release 20 4 1 4
Manufacturability 5 4 4 4
Cost 10 2 4 3
Total 100 3.55 2.5 3.65
Disposal Container
Property Evaluation
Criteria
Weight
%
Stainless
steel HDPE PP
Inert 10 4 4 4
Toughness 20 4 3 2
Weight 20 2 3 4
Impermeability 30 4 4 4
Manufacturability 10 2 4 4
Cost 10 1 4 4
Total 100 3.1 3.6 3.6

18. Design for Manufacturability
18
Component Material Manufacturing Method Total Estimated Cost ($)
Sampling Device Multiple robotic/electronic elements Purchase and assembly 1300
Testing Device PP, electronic elements
Injection molding,
purchase and assembly
2500
Test Kit
PP PCR reaction tubes, testing
chemicals, transfer cartridge, swab
Purchase/production and
assembly
1 per test
Housing Unit 14 GA 316 Stainless steel
Cut, fold, weld
(cold-rolled) sheet
300
Waste Unit HDPE Injection molding 25
TOTAL incl. prod/devt assembly, testing
5000

19. Industrial Design
19

20. Design for Sustainability
20

21. Final Product
Novel application of RPA ⇒ Rapid,
automated detection
Significant added value offsets capital
cost & operational costs
Future work:
● Expand to other food products
● Develop solutions for downstream
markets
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22. Acknowledgements
22
Prof. Jayaraman
Dr. Scott Stillwell Dr. Arun Bhunia
Dr. Hal King

23. Thank You
Questions?
23
Bacter-Buster
Fresh Check 2.0
Salma-No-More
Bacter-Ya-In-There?
Path-O-Gone
Safe Path
Borne Identity
No-Coli
Food Fresh Forever
No Guess Fresh

24. References
1. M.E. Doyle, “Microbial Food Storage - Losses and Control Strategies,” Food Research Institute, University of
Wisconsin-Madison, Jul. 2007.
2. E. Scallan, "Foodborne illness acquired in the United States," Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 17, no. 7, pp.
1339–1340, Jul. 2011.
3. S. Hoffmann, M. B. Batz, and J. G. Morris, Jr., "Annual cost of illness and quality-adjusted life year losses in the United
States due to 14 Foodborne Pathogens," Journal of Food Protection, vol. 75, no. 7, pp. 1292–1302, Jul. 2012.
4. P. K. Mandal, A. K. Biswas, K. Choi, and U. K. Pal, "Methods for rapid detection of Foodborne Pathogens: An overview,"
American Journal of Food Technology, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 87–102, Feb. 2011.
5. B. Malorny, P. T. Tassios, P. Rådström, N. Cook, M. Wagner, and J. Hoorfar, "Standardization of diagnostic PCR for the
detection of foodborne pathogens," International Journal of Food Microbiology, vol. 83, no. 1, pp. 39–48, May 2003.
6. K. Sowoidnich, H. Schmidt, M. Maiwald, B. Sumpf, and H.-D. Kronfeldt, "Application of Diode-Laser Raman
spectroscopy for in situ investigation of meat spoilage," Food and Bioprocess Technology, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 878–882,
Apr. 2010.
7. A. P. Craig, A. S. Franca, and J. Irudayaraj, "Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy applied to food safety," Annual
Review of Food Science and Technology, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 369–380, Feb. 2013.
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