Food scientists Tae Jo Kim and Juan Silva developed a simple test kit that can be used to detect Salmonella in food, water, and environmental samples. This unique detection mechanism consists of a single test tube that can expose the presence of Salmonella in a sample without the need for any additional equipment. The kit, which can be stored for long periods at room temperature without losing its effectiveness, is inexpensive compared with similar products. After demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology in several lab studies, the MAFES scientists optimized the Salmonella test kit to perform in industrial and laboratory settings. They received a provisional patent on the technology and are ready to implement it in a commercial setting. Salmonella is the most frequent cause of short- and long-term food-borne illness, causing about 1.4 million food poisonings in the U.S. each year.

Invention Disclosures (January – June 2014)

• Rice cultivar CL163
• Shock-wave mitigating bio-inspired football helmet design
• Utilization of a novel isolate of Enterobacter sp. As a nutrition supplement for livestock and humans
• Use of Burkholderia contamins MS14 and occidiofungin as a fungicide against plant pathogens
• Bermudagrass cultivar MSB-280
• One-tube Salmonella and Listeria test kits (pictured)

Patent Applications (January – June 2014)

• Nematode Resistance Genes and Methods of Their Use
• In Vivo Vaginal Biomechanics Device
• Catalysts for Converting Syngas into Liquid Hydrocarbons and Methods Thereof
• Shock-wave Mitigating Bio-inspired Football Helmet Design
• Utilization of Oleagnious Microorganisms as a Nutritional Supplement for Animals
• Apparatus and Method for Rearing Maggots
• Improving Rice Nutrition and Taste via Disruption of Grain Starch Crystalline, Fortification Treatment and Recrystallization
• Use of Burkholderia contamins MS14 and Occidiofungin as a fungicide against plant pathogens
• Generation of Imazapic Resistance Switchgrass Population