It’s important to know how microorganisms—particularly pathogenic microbes—grow under various conditions. Certain bacteria can cause food poisoning when eaten and bacterial growth in medical blood supplies, while rare, might necessitate discarding the blood.
Now a group of researchers from Zhejiang Normal University in China and Umeå University in Sweden report a fast, accurate, and noninvasive technique for monitoring bacterial growth. They report the results in Applied Optics.
Several detection techniques are currently capable of rapid and accurate measurements of gas compositions. Those based on optical spectrometry are most appealing because they’re noninvasive, boast high sensitivity, provide instant responses, and are potentially useful for assessment of bacterial growth.
“A technique referred to as ‘tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy’ (TDLAS) is particularly suitable because it combines all of these properties with an ease of use and low cost,” Shao said.
FoodWorld 