The present invention relates to the field of storing and testing food or consumables for bacteria/bacterium, allergens, toxins, or other detectable contaminants
Food or medicine may become contaminated leading to illness and death. Moreover, it is difficult and costly to test food for bacteria/bacterium or contaminants which may arise through inadvertent exposure to contaminated food or food preparers or cross contamination at a large food processing center or kitchen. Similarly, large batches of produce may come from a farm where water and subsequently the food, has become contaminated inadvertently from waste created by adjacent independent animal farms. It would be advantageous to be able to provide an indication that a consumable has become contaminated with bacteria/bacterium, allergens, toxins, or other undesirable detectable contaminants.
Aspects of the testing system and methods disclosed herein are implemented in devices or methods to detect presence at least one reagent-reactive compound such as a toxin, bacterium, carcinogen, allergen, etc., (hereinafter “contaminants”) using reagents that are configured to indicate of the presence of the reagent-reactive compound or contaminant. Aspects may be implemented by suspending the reagent in a carrier below the dew point of the environment in which the consumable is positioned and exposing the reagent to moisture from the environment in which the consumable is stored. Aspects of the invention may be implemented in a food or consumable storage and testing device that tests consumables without making physical contact with the consumable. Other aspects may be implemented in a device that may be attached to a food container to test a consumable in the food container without making physical contact between the device and the consumable. Still other aspects may be implemented in a process of using the device to test a consumable for a contaminant by including a reagent in or on a carrier at or below the dew point of the environment of the consumable to condense moisture from the environment and exposure or communication to the reagent. As further disclosed herein, the consumable testing device, system, or process may test a consumable with at least one reagent capable of detecting a contaminant transferred to the reagent, and which reagent then will react to the contaminant and manifest a user detectable indication of the presence of the at least one contaminant.
Aspects of disclosure include intentionally positioning a frozen reagent carrier with a reagent selected to react with a contaminant in the environment or direct vicinity of the consumable having the contaminant, which frozen reagent carrier will have a temperature below the dew point temperature of the environment or direct vicinity of the consumable and will thus draw, condense, or absorb moisture from the environment of the consumable and communicate or expose absorbed moisture from the environment to the at least one reagent selected to detect the contaminant. The reagent may provide a detectable reaction or alert, such as a visual alert, or the reagent may be combined with at least one sensor configured to detect the reagent reaction with the contaminant and communicate the presence of the contaminant. Aspects of the disclosure provide for the combination of a plurality of reagents selected to react with a plurality of contaminants, which may be combined with at least one sensor capable of communicating the presence or absence of at least one of the contaminants.
Aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in a method or device for testing food for contaminants such as bacteria/bacterium (e.g., E. coli), allergen(s) (e.g., peanuts), or other unwanted contaminants prior to consumption. One exemplary implementation comprises food container for premade single serving meals, food to go, food delivery, catering, room service, etc.
Aspects of the disclosure also comprises system of components working together to sample moisture from the air surrounding the food to be tested for at least one potentially hazardous contaminant.
Numerous advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated upon reference to the following disclosure when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein reference numerals are used to identify the components in the various views.
The figures illustrate a food testing device and system embodiment incorporating aspects of the invention. Aspects disclosed may be scaled or modified for all human or animal consumables and the accompanying storage, serving, or delivery systems. It is contemplated that one embodiment of the invention is a food or consumable storage and testing device and system that can detect bacteria/bacterium, allergens, toxins, or other undesirable detectable contaminants (hereinafter, “contaminants”) and communicate the presence of said contaminants in the consumable storage and testing device and system. The device embodiment may alert a user that the consumable in the consumable storage and testing device and system is either contaminated or not contaminated, and in alternate embodiment may alert as to a change in character, presence, or bacterial variety or population of a contaminant in the device. Further additional applications of the aspects disclosed herein may become obvious considering the disclosure herein. Accordingly, the features of the disclosed embodiment should not be construed as limiting any aspect of the invention.
The figures show examples of installations of a testing device incorporating aspects of the invention and comprise use, positioning, or positioning of said devices in food containers, which could be containers with frozen food, quick serve food, or other food ready to eat, such as bagged or premixed salad from the supermarket, or food delivery, or takeaway food, or room service. These are just examples of typical uses or installs and should not be construed as limiting practical additional implementations. An exploded view of one embodiment invention is illustrated in
The testing device and system embodiment illustrated is preferably designed, retrofitted, configured, or assembled to test a consumable within an environment. The environment may be preexisting or specifically created and considered as sufficient to create a distinct environment comprised of the vapor or gases emitted from the consumable, compared or relative to the vapor or gasses existing outside of the environment. As an example, a food storage or take-away container or a bagged prepared food (e.g., salad, greens, hemp, cannabis, etc.) that may be or is enclosed creates an environment inside the container or bag that is distinct as compared to the environment outside the container or bag. In one embodiment, a device for detecting a contaminant in the environment includes a reagent 30 selected to react to the contaminant and wherein the reagent 30 is selected or configured to provide an alert in the presence of the contaminant impregnated or stored on an absorbent media 20 and wherein the combination is provided in the environment at or below the dew point of the environment. In the preferred embodiment, the reagent 30 may be provided in or suspended in a liquid carrier 32 preferably comprised of or including water, and the combination of reagent 30 and liquid carrier 32 provided in or on the absorbent media 20. Under such conditions vapor or gasses emitted from the consumable inside the test environment will condense in or on the absorbent media 20 and allow functional communication with or exposure to the reagent 30 that is selected for its ability to react to the contaminant and provide an alert that is detectable to a user or other sensor capable of providing a visible, audible, or other electronic alert. In one implementation of the preferred embodiment, the reagent 30 and carrier 32 is frozen within the absorbent media 20 that may be selected from air laid, water-absorbing polymer, plant pulp, and hemp fiber, and an adhesive may be provided on a surface of the absorbent media 20 that may be adhered to an inside surface of a food container. Moreover, a protective, removable/disposable protective film may be applied over the adhesive and is peeled away to expose the adhesive prior to use. It is contemplated that the testing device is to be installed by the food preparer as the food is being packaged. If a reagent 30 reacts, manifesting a color, identifying an allergen or bacterium, it will be observed prior to food consumption by either a food handler, delivery person, delivery robot, or by the food consumer, or the consumer's caregiver. Identifying a reagent 30 reaction will potentially save the life of the would-be consumer of “tainted” food.
A reagent 30 is selected for its ability to withstand freezing temperatures and its ability to react to and provide a detectable alert. Exemplary reagents 30 include reagents selected for the ability to detect contaminants such as but not limited to foodborne pathogens and their toxins and surface spread contaminants, such as E. coli, Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter aerogenes, copper sulphate, etc. One example of a reagent 30 comprises Colorless 3,5,30,50 tetramethyl benzidine (TMB), which changes to blue oxidized TMB in the presence of E. coli and a low concentration of H2O2 (e.g., ˜11 mM) at pH of 3. (See Rapid Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria by the Naked Eye, Kandasamy, Jannatin, and Yu-Chie Chen, Biosensors 2021, 11, 317. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios11090317). Notification that a potentially hazardous food or food contaminant has been discovered, presents itself through a color change occurring within the absorbent structure, i.e., reagent 30. Said absorbent media 20 is integrated with some nominal mass of ice, (e.g., 20-60 mL per single serving container) which, being below the dew point temperature, forcibly and quickly extracts moisture from the air. This air, having been in contact with the food is imparted with contaminants or food allergen(s) responsive to the selected reagent 30. Further, as illustrated in
Additionally, a reagent sensor 26 as illustrated in
While various embodiments have been described above, they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2021/072452 | 11/17/2021 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63114650 | Nov 2020 | US |