KR101972598B1 - Apparatus and method for detecting foodborne pathogens using optical sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting food poisoning bacteria using a photosensor, comprising: a light source unit having a plurality of light sources having different wavelength bands; An optical sensor unit for receiving the output of the light source unit and detecting food poisoning bacteria; A receiver for measuring the intensities of the plurality of light sources having the different wavelength bands passed through the optical sensor unit; And the intensity of the plurality of light sources is different depending on the presence or absence of food poisoning bacteria.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting food-

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting food poisoning bacteria, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method capable of sensing a food using a photosensor safely and accurately.

A photo biosensor is a kind of biosensor, which is a sensor that uses light to recognize it. In the case of optical biosensors, an external device capable of measuring changes in minerals without interference is an important part.

For example, the market for blood glucose measurement biosensors for diabetic patients is the largest, and biophysical biosensors are also the most widely used biosensors. In addition to blood glucose, optical biosensors capable of measuring cholesterol, hemoglobin, glycated hemogobin (HbA1c), lactic acid, and other diagnostic clinically important proteins are now commercially available.

Food poisoning, on the other hand, is a series of syndromes caused by toxic substances in the food consumed. Food poisoning is caused by bacterial self-infections, bacterial food poisoning caused by toxins produced by bacteria, natural poisoning by animal or vegetable toxins present in nature, chemical food poisoning caused by artificial chemicals .

The causes of food poisoning are as follows: (1) Poisonous food poisoning refers to food poisoning which causes various symptoms by non toxic pathogens such as Staphylococcus, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli producing toxins in the intestine. 2) Infectious food poisoning refers to food poisoning, which is caused by penetrating pathogens such as pathogenic Escherichia coli, enteritis Vibrio, Salmonella, and Shigella infiltrate directly into epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa. (3) Natural poisoning Food poisoning is caused by vegetable food poisoning such as poisonous fungus and animal food poisoning such as blowfish. Typical causes of chemical poisoning include heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium.

Staphylococcus is one of the bacteria widely distributed in nature. It is a causative organism of not only food poisoning but also purulent diseases such as skin pox, otitis media and cystitis. It is the causative agent of food poisoning which is followed by Salmonella food poisoning and enteritis Vibrio food poisoning in our country. Of the dozens of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, which produces yellow pigment, causes food poisoning, and there are no cases of food poisoning caused by other staphylococci. Staphylococcus aureus, a relatively heat-resistant bacterium, is killed by heating at 80 ° C for 30 minutes, but Enterotoxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus is not destroyed by heating at 100 ° C for 30 minutes. Food poisoning occurs when foods are contaminated by bacteria in the hands, nasal mucous membranes, or wounds, and the number of bacteria grows at an appropriate temperature and humidity, such as in the summer, to cause infection. At this time, the symptom is rapidly appeared after 2 ~ 4 hours from ingesting the contaminated food, and it is improved rapidly.

Salmonella is weak against heat and can be killed by pasteurization (heating at 62-65 ℃ for 30 minutes), so food poisoning by salmonella does not occur if there is no secondary contamination in cooked food. However, not all of the foods that cause Salmonella food poisoning can be caused by not heated food, but heated cooked food because of insufficient heating or secondary contamination of cooked food. Salmonella is strong in dry condition as well as in low temperature and frozen condition, and it occurs most in June - September and less frequently in winter. In recent years, pets such as dogs, cats, and green turtles have been attracting attention as an important source of salmonella. Therefore, children who take such animals as pets should pay special attention to children. As a cause of food, turbulence such as food, quail eggs and eggs is the best, and since these foods are widely cooked and widely consumed, the actual cases of food poisoning are not limited to specific foods but various.

Vibrio species include Vibrio parahaemolyticus (enteritis Vibrio) and Vibrio cholera. Among them, the causative organism of Vibrio food poisoning is Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and the famous cholera, Vibrio cholera, is the causative agent of the first kind of legal infectious disease. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which is distributed in relatively close sea and tidal flats on land, grows vigorously in an environment where water temperature exceeds 20 ℃, but activity is slowed at low temperature and it is almost impossible to propagate below 5 ℃. It is weak against heat and is killed at 60 캜 for 15 minutes and at 100 캜 within several minutes. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is distributed in seawater, so seafood is a source of contamination. In the case of Vibrio parahaemolyticus adhered to epidermis, intestines, gills of mackerel, octopus, squid, and arboreous fungi during contamination during cooking process, the contaminated Vibrio parahaemolyticus grows and causes food poisoning directly, Attached Vibrio parahaemolyticus may be caused by secondary contamination that causes food poisoning by contaminating other foods through the hands of refrigerators, chopping boards, cloths, knives, and cookers and ingesting these foods. It occurs well when you eat seafood or seafood in the summer, and causes severe diarrhea with abdominal pain after 12 to 24 hours of ingestion.

The natural habitat of cholerae is the entrance to the beach or the river. When the bacteria grow enough to cause infection at the appropriate temperature, they ingest contaminated drinking water or food to cause a primary infection. Through the faeces of infected patients, When food or food is contaminated, an explosive secondary infection occurs. Symptoms usually appear 18-24 hours after ingestion of contaminated food. Symptoms appear within a short time of 6 hours or longer than 5 days after long-term consumption of cholera, and sufficient follow-up is necessary if cholera is expected. The most characteristic symptom of cholera is a sudden excess of water that does not accompany abdominal pain. Especially when you have diarrhea like rice cakes repeatedly, you should suspect cholera.

Pathogenic Escherichia coli is a pathogenic Escherichia coli causing diarrhea and enteritis, and is attracting attention as a cause of travelers diarrhea frequently occurring in overseas travelers. These pathogenic Escherichia coli may be symptomatic in infants but adults may present with symptoms such as acute gastroenteritis when ingesting contaminated food. The fact that Escherichia coli can cause diarrhea has been known since the 19th century, but a method of distinguishing between Escherichia coli in healthy nose and Escherichia coli in diarrheal diarrhea has been established in 1945 and is now called pathogenic Escherichia coli. Among the foodborne pathogens caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli, O-157-induced intestinal hemorrhagic Escherichia coli infections are classified as one type of legal infectious disease. Even a small number of bacteria are highly infectious enough to cause infection, and may die in a short period after the onset It is a fatal disease. Because pathogenic Escherichia coli is widely distributed in livestock, pets, health carriers and natural environments, it can be caused by various foods such as ham, cheese, sausage, salad, lunch box and tofu. There is also a group occurrence. Since most pathogenic Escherichia coli is weak against heat, it is necessary to take a habit of eating or warming in a period or region where a pathogenic Escherichia coli is infected, since the main source of pathogenic Escherichia coli is less cooked meat or contaminated milk.

Clostridium botulinum is a neuroleptic disease that causes symptoms caused by bacterial-produced neurotoxins. Botulinum toxin is a spore resistant to heat and disinfectant, a single cell that is called a spore. It is a poisonous food poisoning bacteria that produces anaerobes (can not grow with air). Botulinum spp. Is distributed widely in the soil and is detected in the bottom of the sea or lake. Therefore, all raw food such as agricultural products, fish and shellfish can be seen to be contaminated with apo. Occurs after ingesting canned sausages or bad storage conditions. Botulinosis poisoning means "intestinal poisoning" and it is a high mortality food poisoning that causes terminal motor nerve paralysis by an exotoxin produced by the bacterium. One of the reasons why botulinum toxin is important for food hygiene is that apo - produced by these bacterium is resistant to sterilization even after boiling for a long time due to its high heat resistance. Symptoms of gastroenteritis, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, often occur before the onset of neurological symptoms, and specific symptoms include weakness, malaise, and dizziness. When symptoms develop, amblyopia, diplopia (things look double), eyelid swelling down, and pupil enlargement. Body temperature is normal and consciousness is clear, but typical neurological symptoms appear only in severe cases and lead to death by dyspnea.

Food poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens is often called "group cooking food poisoning" because it occurs easily when a large number of people eat food such as a group meal facility. Welch bacillus is resistant to heat and apo survives for 4 hours at 100 ℃. Since this bacterium is an anaerobic bacterium that can not grow when there is air, the internal air is released by heating the bacterium in order to make a large amount of food at a time, and even if the food is cooled again, Because it becomes a good environment to grow bacteria, they multiply rapidly and cause food poisoning. The characteristic symptoms of Welch 's food poisoning are diarrhea and abdominal pain, usually diarrhea in the form of water starts from 8 to 16 hours after meals and about 12 hours on average. Welch's fungi As a pollution source of food poisoning, attention is paid to livestock and poultry (ducks, chickens, etc.), and these animals become contaminated during the process of disintegration at the slaughterhouse, and become sources of food poisoning.

Bacterial dysentery is infected by the bacterium Shigella and is the first type of statutory infectious disease which is the main symptom of diarrhea. Other causes of bacterial enteritis include Campylobacter and Yersinia. Norovirus and rotavirus are typical viruses that cause viral gastroenteritis. As hygienic notions have developed and life has become more vigorous, viral gastroenteritis has become more common than bacterial gastroenteritis in recent years due to fewer eating habits such as gastroenteritis caused by norovirus It accounts for about 50% of all gastroenteritis. It is infected mainly through the water of drinking water or swimming pool, but it can also be infected through direct contact between people and people, and it is highly contagious and shows a pattern of onset. Gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus is the most common viral gastroenteritis in infants and young children aged 5 years and younger cause diarrhea in winter, and they have been known as cholestatic cholera for a long time.

Thus, when a food poisoning infection occurs, symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever generally appear within 72 hours after ingestion of food, so that it is difficult to live everyday life for a certain period of time and is very likely to interfere with social life.

Therefore, in order to prevent such food poisoning, it is necessary to detect a causative organism causing food poisoning. Conventional technology requires not only an expensive apparatus but also a high cost and time required for detection. There is a problem in that it is not possible to detect the causative microorganisms to be detected in a timely manner.

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for accurately detecting food poisoning bacteria in real time, and to provide a structure that can be remotely monitored, and a structure for reducing an error caused by an installation environment.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for detecting food poisoning bacteria, comprising: a light source unit having a plurality of light sources having different wavelength bands; An optical sensor unit for receiving the output of the light source unit and detecting food poisoning bacteria; And a receiver for measuring the intensities of the plurality of light sources having the different wavelength bands that have passed through the optical sensor unit, wherein intensity of the plurality of light sources is different depending on the presence or absence of food poisoning bacteria.

In one embodiment, the light source unit may include a first light source of a first wavelength band and a second light source of a second wavelength band. In the absence of food poisoning bacteria, the intensity of the first light source of the first wavelength band may be greater than the intensity of the second wavelength band The intensity of the first light source in the first wavelength band is smaller than the intensity of the second light source in the second wavelength band when food poisoning bacteria are present.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a third light source of a third wavelength band for correcting intensity loss information of the first light source of the first wavelength band and the second light source of the second wavelength band according to the external environment or the state of the line and; And the optical sensor unit includes a filter unit that reflects the third light source of the third wavelength band.

The advantage of the present invention is that it is possible to detect accurate food poisoning bacteria in real time at low cost, monitor it remotely, and install it hygienically in a food cooking facility because it does not include wires.

In addition, even if various operators install the apparatus, it is possible to correct the error caused by the installation process and the environment.

1 is a sectional view of a photosensor for detecting food poisoning bacteria of the present invention.
2 is a top view of the optical sensor for detecting food poisoning bacteria of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the apparatus for detecting food poisoning bacteria of the present invention in real time. Fig.
Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a real-time detection device for food poisoning bacteria of the present invention. Fig.
Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the real-time detection device for food poisoning bacteria of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

The terms first, second, A, B, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is to be understood that the term "comprises" or "having" in the present application does not preclude the presence or addition of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification .

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, an apparatus and method for detecting food poisoning bacteria using an optical sensor according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a photosensor for a floss bacteria detecting apparatus of the present invention.

The optical sensor may include a first ferrule 110, a second ferrule 120, a reflector 130, a fixing unit 140, and a filter unit 150.

Since a typical optical fiber is thin and difficult to handle with a diameter of a few hundred micrometers, the termination is used to fix it with a ferrule and make it easy to connect.

The optical sensor includes a first ferrule 111 including an incoming optical fiber 112 for receiving input light and the incoming optical fiber 112. The input optical fiber 112 is positioned inside the first ferrule 111. The end of the first ferrule 111 is provided with a filter unit that reflects light having a third wavelength band, 150). The filter unit 150 can be coupled as needed, and the filter unit 150 can be removed to configure the apparatus.

The filter unit 150 may be a thin film filter or a filter including an optical fiber grating.

One side of the second ferrule portion 120 may be coupled to the other side of the filter portion 150. The third ferrule portion 120 may include a sensing optical fiber 122 including a third ferrule 121 and a core portion 123.

If there is no filter unit 150, the first ferrule unit 110 and the second ferrule unit 120 may be coupled. Conventional ferrules are used to easily polish the surfaces of the ferrules. In order to minimize the reflection, the ferrules can be configured such that the ends have predetermined angles.

A part of the second ferrule part 120 is polished and exposed in the longitudinal direction. 1, it is preferable to polish only the cladding of the sensing optical fiber 122. However, it is also possible to polish the cladding of the sensing optical fiber 122 only to the cladding.

In addition, the polished opposite portion of the sensing optical fiber 132 may include a stress material such as used in a pendant polarization-maintaining optical fiber to minimize the polarization phenomenon caused by polishing. (Not shown)

Normally, the optical fiber is polished by installing an optical fiber on a jig and polishing the optical fiber with a polishing pad. When the optical fiber itself is polished in this way, the polishing time is shortened, but the reproducibility for mass production is inferior.

Therefore, in the case of the present invention, an optical fiber is first attached to the ferrule for grinding, and a part of the ferrule is polished. In this case, since the ferrule is polished to a certain portion, there is an advantage of high reproducibility. Further, there is an advantage that packaging after polishing is easy. (Packaging is performed by a fixing unit 140 to be described later.)

A sensing material 124 is applied over the polished surface. The sensing material 124 has a predetermined color and is a material used in a bio-optical sensor in which the color changes according to food poisoning bacteria. The material can be composed of various materials such as lanthanide.

The sensing material 124 has a first color in the absence of food poisoning bacteria and attenuates in the case where the first color has a first wavelength band passing through the sensing optical fiber 122 by the first color, The attenuation does not occur. If the sensing material 124 has food poisoning bacteria, it has a second color. If the sensing material 124 has a first wavelength band passing through the sensing optical fiber 122 by the second color, no attenuation occurs, In the case of a light source, attenuation occurs. That is, the intensity of the light source having the wavelengths of the specific bands changes according to the presence or absence of food poisoning bacteria.

The light source having passed through the second ferrule portion 120 is reflected by the reflecting portion 130 and the light source passes once again through the sensing optical fiber 122 so that the light source intensity is further changed.

The reflective portion 130 is not an essential component and is formed by connecting a third ferrule portion (not shown), which is the same as the first ferrule portion 110, to the other end of the second ferrule portion 120, May be configured.

The first and second ferrule portions, the reflecting portion, and the filter portion are fixed by the fixing portion 140. The fixing portion 140 can be configured as a sleeve for holding the ferrule. Also, the fixing part 140 may be in the form of a connector.

The fixing portion 140 may include a tube 141 as shown in FIG. 2, and the measurement object (food poisoning bacteria) is inserted through the tube 141.

3 is a system configuration diagram for detecting food poisoning bacteria using an optical sensor.

The system may include an optical sensor unit 100, a light source unit 200, a receiving unit 300, a coupling and separating unit 400, an input / output optical fiber 10, and a measurement target unit 20.

The optical sensor unit 100 is the optical sensor unit of the embodiment disclosed in Figs.

The light source unit 200 includes a plurality of light sources having different wavelength bands. A plurality of light sources can be switched to selectively oscillate, and simultaneous emission is possible.

The light source 210 in the first wavelength band is a light source in a wavelength range where there is little loss due to the photosensor unit in the absence of food poisoning bacteria and loss due to the photosensor unit in the presence of food poisoning bacteria. The light source 220 of the second wavelength band is a light source of a wavelength range where loss due to the photosensor unit occurs when there is no food poisoning bacteria and loss by the photosensor unit when food poisoning bacteria are present. Each wavelength differs depending on the type of the sensing object 124 and the bacteria to be sensed.

The output light of the light source unit 200 is coupled to one port of the coupling and separating unit 400 and is led into the optical sensor unit 100 through the other end of the coupling and separating unit 400 through the input and output optical fiber 10.

The output light from the light source unit 200 is reflected by the reflection unit 130 of the optical sensor unit 100 and then transmitted through the input and output optical fiber 10 and the coupling and separation unit 400, Lt; / RTI >

The receiving unit 300 may include a controller capable of measuring the intensity of the received light source and analyzing the intensity of the received light source.

The receiving unit 300 may be measured in synchronization with a plurality of light sources output from the light source unit 200. That is, after the output of the light source of the first wavelength band, the intensity of the reflected light is measured to measure the intensity of the light source of the first wavelength band. After the output of the light source of the second wavelength band, And measures the intensity of the light source in the second wavelength band.

When the light source unit uses a plurality of light sources at the same time or desires to use them separately, the wavelength band can be divided by using the WDM coupler 500 as shown in FIG.

In addition, the intensities of the first and second wavelength bands can be corrected by further measuring the loss due to the line and the external environment in which the optical sensor unit 100 is installed. In this case, the light source of the third wavelength band is oscillated, the light source of the third wavelength band is reflected by the filter unit 150 of the optical sensor unit 100, Only the loss of the measured value can be measured and the respective values can be corrected using this measured value. The light source of the third wavelength band can be used by switching the light source as shown in FIG. 3, and can be separately used as shown in FIG. 5 and coupled to the WDM coupler 500. The WDM coupler 500 may be composed of a single unit or a plurality of units according to a band.

Each embodiment may be implemented independently or in combination.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the following claims, I will say.

110 first ferrule portion
120 second ferrule portion
130 reflector
140 Fixed Government
150 filter unit

Claims (3)

A light source unit having a plurality of light sources having different wavelength bands;
An optical sensor unit for receiving the output of the light source unit and detecting food poisoning bacteria; And
And a receiver for measuring the intensities of the plurality of light sources having the different wavelength bands passed through the optical sensor unit,
Wherein the intensity of the plurality of light sources is different depending on the presence or absence of food poisoning bacteria,
The optical sensor unit includes:
A first ferrule portion including a lead-in optical fiber into which the output of the light source portion is led;
A filter unit having a first surface coupled to an end of the first ferrule unit to filter light in a wavelength band other than a predetermined wavelength band among output lights of the light source unit;
A second ferrule part coupled with the other surface of the filter part to pass the light passing through the filter part or to pass the reflected light; And
And a reflector for reflecting the light passing through the second ferrule portion back to the second ferrule portion,
The second ferrule portion is partially polished in a predetermined direction and a sensing material to be detected is applied on the polished surface so that some or all of the light passing through the filter portion or the light reflected by the reflecting portion is reflected by the second And has a change in wavelength passing through the ferrule portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light source unit includes a first light source of a first wavelength band and a second light source of a second wavelength band,
In the absence of food poisoning bacteria, the intensity of the first light source in the first wavelength band is greater than that of the second light source in the second wavelength band, and the intensity of the first light source in the first wavelength band is greater than the intensity of the second light source Wherein the intensity of the second light source is less than the intensity of the second light source. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And a third light source of a third wavelength band for correcting intensity loss information of the first light source of the first wavelength band and the second light source of the second wavelength band according to the state of the line;
Wherein the photosensor portion includes a filter portion for reflecting the third light source of the third wavelength band.

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