DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMATED ON-LINE INSPECTION OF ANIMAL CARCASSES AND PLANT PRODUCE

(1) To develop automated industrial prototype systems for poultry carcass inspection and implement them online at slaughter plants, (2) conduct basic research and develop algorithms to detect and identify individual diseases/lesions and defects of poultry carcasses and viscera, and (3) develop a real-time vision system that can be incorporated into HACCP plan for detection of external/internal damage and fecal and soil contamination on fresh fruits and vegetables, (4) Develop portable low-cost optical and opto-electronic devices for in situ identification of contamination on foods and on processing equipment and facility in large and small processing plants, and (5) Working with collaborators, develop portable technologies that can be used for rapid detection of harmful pathogens as well as potential bioagents of a covert bioterrorist act on the surface of foods and on processing equipment and facility.