Sep 26, 2009 1:14 PM

Hanson Technologies Inc has announced the issuance of a US patent entitled Agricultural Screening System and Method for Detection of Infectious Microorganisms. The patent describes the company’s method of screening for pathogenic microorganisms in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other plant material intended for human and animal consumption.

The company’s technology has the capability to screen entire lots of fresh produce with a 99.8% confidence versus less than 6% for conventional methods. In addition, it provides results in two hours or less, rather than 12 to 36 hours. The technology is incorporated into Hanson’s OmniFresh 1000 System.

“The patent for rapidly identifying microorganisms that may be present in produce validates the superiority of our UltraRapid technology, and exemplifies our groundbreaking role in improved pathogen detection and greater freshness,” said William P Hanson, chief executive officer of Hanson.

OmniFresh 1000 screens entire lots of fresh produce in near-real-time for contamination by E coli O157:H7 and can screen for additional bacteria including salmonella.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, more than 5,000 people in the United States die each year from diseases caused by eating contaminated food. The economic cost of those incidents is more than $10 billion annually.

Visit www.hansontechnologies.com for more details.