RESEARCH NEWS

SAFETY RESEARCH

Portable Biosensor Offers Promise for Rapid Detection of Avian Influenza

Bird flu, caused by avian influenza (AI) viruses, is very contagious among birds and can spread rapidly in poultry operations, without any warning or noticeable symptoms. In screening for an infection, detection time can be crucial as delays give an outbreak an opportunity to spread before it is detected. Although current methods to directly identify AI are available, most require expensive equipment or long waiting periods to get results, while some, though relatively inexpensive and quick to deliver results, are not very sensitive. There remains a need for a rapid and sensitive penside diagnostic test to identify flocks infected with AI. Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute believe the answer could rest in their interferometric biosensor.

FDA Launches Food Defense Awareness Training Kit for Employees in the Food Industry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched its food defense awareness training kit for first line food industry employees. The training targets these individuals because they can play an important role in helping to keep our nation’s food supply safe, from the farm to the table.

Field Trials Demonstrate Potential Value of Repetitive Motion Exposure Assessment Tool

Modified Ergonomic Work Assessment System (EWAS) observes differences between experienced and inexperienced workers

Researchers with Georgia Tech’s Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) in conjunction with member companies of the Georgia Poultry Federation have been working together to develop an instrument to assess the risk of musculoskeletal injury. The initial focus has centered on the cutting tasks associated with the deboning process and their impact on musculoskeletal activities of the upper and lower arm. The specific ergonomic factors related to these cutting tasks include grip force, posture, and repetition.

UGA’s Center for Food Safety Develops New Antimicrobial Treatment to Reduce Salmonella Enteritidis in Poultry

With funding from Georgia's Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing, researchers with the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety, under the direction of Dr. Michael Doyle, recently completed the first year of a two-year study to develop an alternative chemical treatment to reduce Salmonella contamination on poultry skin and features during production and transport while not adversely affecting animal health, growth rates, or product quality.

Using Leading Indicators to Improve Your Safety Program

By Terrie S. Norris, CSP, ARM, CPSI

How are you measuring the success of your safety program? Many entities, whether private or public, use one or more of the following: OSHA incident rate, severity rates, claims per $100 in payroll, number of fatalities, average cost per claim, and/or experience modification. These are all great trailing indicators. The problem is that they are measures of failure. A loss must occur before a value can be established. An analysis of the losses may provide a focus for the entity’s safety and health or its liability programs, but it does not drive improvement.

Rollover Accidents — Preventable and Unacceptable

By Paul W. Pressley

Business it seems that single-vehicle rollovers happen every day. Rollovers are common due to the design of feed and live haul trucks and trailers, the roads on which we drive, and often, driver error.

Preventing rollovers begins with understanding their cause. So we start with the question, “What causes a rollover accident?” Often the answer is “driving too fast for the road and weather conditions.” We need to go beyond that general answer and look closely at many of the factors that impact the likelihood of a rollover accident to increase the awareness of both driver and trucking supervisor, leading to safer fleet operations.

Third-Shift Training Program Makes Successful Debut

Last fall Georgia Tech was awarded a Susan Hardwood Grant by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a comprehensive safety training program for third-shift sanitation and maintenance workers in the poultry processing industry. Specialists in Georgia Tech’s Occupational Safety and Health Branch have conducted five train-the-trainer courses, including one each in Georgia, Florida, and Maryland and two in Arkansas. A total of 121 trainers participated in the program, and subsequently trained 601 third-shift poultry processing workers in their respective plants. The program’s goal is to reach 9,000 workers. A sixth course is scheduled for mid-December.

Mark Your Calendars for the 2009 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry

The 2009 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry will be held June 2-4, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Plant and corporate safety personnel will have the opportunity to listen to expert speakers from industry, government, and academia as they deliver up-to-date information on worker/plant safety topics. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in round-table discussions, which provide a forum for professionals to discuss problems and ideas relevant to the industry.

The annual conference provides a national forum for information transfer on safety management in the poultry industry, and is co-sponsored by the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, Georgia Poultry Federation, and the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Agricultural Technology Research Program.

For more information log on to www.regonline.com/poultry or contact Kristi Spivey at 404-894-3412

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

Researchers Take a Closer Look at the Impact of Sanitizing Chemicals on Wastewater Treatment Systems

Ongoing research at Georgia Tech indicates that the chemistries of selected quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs or QUATs), which are generally regarded as safe (GRAS) sanitizers, can present significant difficulties for biological wastewater treatment systems under certain conditions.

University Researchers Team Together to Establish Water Conservation Strategies for Poultry Processors

Georgia Tech researchers together with colleagues from the University of Georgia have launched a joint university project aimed at establishing a consistent methodology for assessing water conservation and reuse options in processing plants. Working with poultry processing and other agribusiness industries, the team plans to identify short-term best management practices (BMPs) that will position these industries to meet the requirements of emerging water conservation measures, such as Georgia’s Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Plan (Water Plan).

A Look at the Importance of Water Conservation and Reuse in Today’s Poultry Industry

By Paul Bredwell

Of all the natural resources we rely on each day, there are two which are paramount in order for mankind and most other species to survive, oxygen and water. While oxygen can be created through the processes of photosynthesis, the supply of water on earth is essentially finite. As the population of the earth continues to grow, so does the importance of protecting and conserving these natural resources.

For years the poultry industry has been under close scrutiny for the volume of water it uses in the process of preparing a safe and wholesome product for consumers. And while few in the industry will deny the necessity for substantial water to process poultry, it is important to remember that much of the water is used in a non-consumptive manner. In other words, a great majority is returned to the source from which it was withdrawn.

Defining Best Management Practices (BMPs) to Help Control Storm Water Runoff

Georgia Tech researchers recently completed the second of a two-year project focused on helping poultry processors understand and comply with the provisions of the State of Georgia (GAR0000000) general permit for storm water discharges from industrial activities. This research focused on strategies for selecting and implementing the most appropriate best management practices (BMPs), as outlined in the general permit, to achieve the surrogate benchmark for fecal coliform (FC) which has been set at 100 mg/L total suspended solids (TSS) [see PoultryTech Summer 2007 issue].

Renewed Interest In Utilizing Poultry Litter For Energy

Poultry litter has traditionally been used as an agricultural soil amendment because of its nutrient qualities. However, in recent years, attention has also begun to focus on its value as an alternative source of energy.

Poultry manure, more commonly referred to as litter, is a valuable byproduct generated by the poultry industry. This litter has traditionally been used as an agricultural soil amendment because of its nutrient qualities. However, in recent years, attention has also begun to focus on its value as an alternative source of energy. Because poultry litter is heavily made up of wood chips or wood shavings, it has good burning qualities making it a potentially excellent source of fuel. With recent fluctuations in energy costs coupled with growing attention on greenhouse gas emissions, litter is seen as a potentially stable and green fuel source that can help displace demand for fossil fuel and purchased electricity.

Carbon Footprints and the Poultry Industry

By Jason Perry

Concern over global warming induced by human activity has led to increasing awareness of the concept of a carbon footprint. This term is shorthand for the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that result from the activities of an entity — be it a person, a business, or a country — over the course of a year. Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released with the combustion of fossil fuels, is the most abundant and significant greenhouse gas aside from water vapor. Other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are more potent but less abundant than CO2, and when including these gases in an overall carbon footprint they are expressed in terms of their carbon dioxide equivalent (the amount of CO2 that would cause the same amount of global warming)..

AUTOMATION RESEARCH

Innovative Computer Vision System Provides Portion and Process Control for Further Processed Product Lines

Researchers with Georgia Tech’s Food Processing Technology Division, with funding from Georgia’s Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing, have developed an innovative computer vision system for on-line screening of individual meat and poultry portions for both volume and visual quality.

“The requirements being placed on chicken and beef producers to meet the needs of their customers in the further processed and case-ready products areas are challenging to say the least,” comments Wayne Daley, associate division chief of FPTD and project director. “As industry continues to produce more of this product mix, systems such as ours will serve to enhance plant efficiencies and reduce costs.”

Automated Missed Bone Screening System to Aid in Quality Control

Further processed products are the mainstay of the poultry industry, with the key player usually being deboned fillets. However, missed bones, particularly the clavicle and fan, in these fillets continue to be of concern to processors. Current screening techniques are labor-intensive and can be expensive, not to mention, they are not as accurate as desired.

Georgia Tech researchers are developing a new approach for automatic screening of bone on the cone line providing an opportunity not only to assist in finding missed bones but also providing real-time monitoring of product yield.

Intelligent Transfer System Seeks to Automate Post-Chiller Rehang

Researchers are developing a sensor-guided, automated transfer system for moving carcasses from an immersion chiller to a shackle line for second and further processing. Currently performed by four to eight plant workers per line, the task is labor-intensive. Automating the process will not only move workers away from a mundane task but save the poultry industry millions of dollars in related labor costs.

The system Georgia Tech researchers are developing, however, takes a slightly different approach to automation. Instead of using conventional mechanical automation or more sophisticated robotics, the so-called Intelligent Transfer System employs a multitude of simple mechanisms networked together in conjunction with advanced sensor feedback for command and control decisions.

3D Computer Vision Technology Promises to Revolutionize Process Control

By John Stewart

As the poultry industry continues to expand its line of value-added product offerings, tracking and controlling processes to address ever changing size variability is becoming more and more important. Minimizing trim in portion cutting operations, optimizing thermal loads in cooking and freezing operations, and ensuring shape and quality specifications are met on each order are demands that call for increasingly sophisticated screening tools. One of those tools is 3D vision technology.

New Approach Offers Opportunity for More Efficient Waste Heat Recovery from Refrigeration Systems

By Randy Wynn, Industrial Sales Manager - Alabama Power

Energy costs seem to be on an endless rise. They are beginning to represent a significant portion of the cost of production for the poultry processor. The typical poultry facility purchases some form of petroleum product to heat water for use in processing poultry. Then in the same process the facility purchases electricity to remove heat from the poultry being processed. The heat removed from the poultry is typically discharged to the environment. The processor spends money to buy heat and then spends money to reject heat to the environment. As a result of utility cost increases, processors can no longer afford to continue this vicious circle and remain competitive.

What can be done to stop this? The answer lies in waste heat recovery.

Bettcher Industries Donates $125,000 to GTRI’s Food Processing Technology Building Expansion

Bettcher Industries, Inc., an innovative world leader in the design and manu-facture of food processing equipment and cutting tools, has made a donation of $125,000 toward the construction of Phase II of the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Food Processing Technology Building.