Europe gets behind 3-second TVC for raw meat

As part of its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, the European Union is supporting German company FreshDetect as it tweaks its BFD-100. This handheld device can be used to determine the total viable count in fresh meat in 3–5 seconds with laboratory quality reliability and accuracy. The system is a viable alternative to laboratory testing, which can take several days to complete.

The device determines the bacterial burden in meat non-invasively by means of fluorescence spectroscopy. Individual datasets are required for the various types and cuts of meats. These datasets are generated from the measured fluorescence spectrum, as well as from conventional laboratory tests, using statistical methods. The resulting forecast model makes it possible to detect the total viable count directly on site.

It takes three to five seconds to perform a measurement and obtain the total viable count on raw meat. Results are immediately displayed and stored in the device along with the temperature, date and time of the measurement and a sequential test number.

The device can handle up to 2000 measurements before the data has to be transferred to a PC.

Horizon 2020 is Europe’s largest ever research and innovation program with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020). Its grant to FreshDetect is intended to help the company expand its BFD-100, across Europe. The project will also support enhancements designed to fully exploit the potential of the technology in food manufacturing.

The support will come from phase 2 of the EU’s Horizon 2020 SME financial instruments program and will specifically target enhancements to and expansion of the FreshDetect technology within Europe.

“Each year, 88 million tons of food valued at €143 billion are wasted in the EU alone,” explained Oliver Dietrich, Managing Director of FreshDetect GmbH. “With the BFD-100, the first portable measurement device for rapidly determining the microbiological quality of food, our aim is to help address this issue. The BFD-100 is the first device that enables hygiene quality control across the entire production process and creates a new dimension in food safety. It furthermore lays an important foundation for optimising the manufacturing process and minimising food waste.”