RFID systems have been sued in numerous applications like asset tracking, toll collection and libraries. The following seminar presents our on going research for the Auburn University Detection and Food Safety (AUDFS) project to use RFID technology combined with sensors for detection of pathogens in food. AUDFS aims to integrate the breakthrough in the detection of food borne illnesses with advances in wireless and biosensor technologies. The goal of the research is a system that can keep track of food products from initial production throughout the supply chain thus significantly reducing the mortality rate and lost productivity due to food borne bacteria and pathogens.
RFID systems are wireless systems in which a remote tag in the field communicates with a reader interfaced to a host computer system. The paper discusses RFID system to be used for detection of pathogens in food. The design of the tag circuit is a major component of the research effort. For proof of concept, the tag circuit will be initially designed with reduced functionality such as detection of just temperature to control the operation of the tag. Further work will focus on incorporating biosensors that will use sensitive chemical coatings to detect harmful bacteria and other toxins, relaying the sensory information to the reader and miniaturizing the tag.
