Detection device for food-borne pathogenic microorganisms in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables

Abstract

The utility model discloses a device for detecting foodborne pathogenic microorganisms in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which comprises a sample liquid chamber, an enrichment chamber, a filter membrane plate, a plurality of microporous filter membranes and a plurality of culture substrates, culture media are arranged in the plurality of culture substrates, a support plate is fixedly connected to the upper side of the interior of the enrichment chamber, a placing groove is arranged on the support plate, and the sample liquid chamber is arranged in the placing groove. The filter membrane plate is placed in the placing groove, a plurality of circular grooves are formed in the filter membrane plate, a plurality of microporous filter membranes are mounted on the bottom sides in the circular grooves respectively, a cover plate is hinged to the left side of the top end of the enrichment chamber, the sample liquid chamber is mounted on the cover plate, the left side in the sample liquid chamber is communicated with a first connecting pipe, and a first valve is mounted on the first connecting pipe; the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or the buffer cleaning sample liquid thereof is prevented from being conveyed to a plurality of microporous filter membranes by using a pump machine, damage to part of food-borne pathogenic microorganisms in the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or the buffer cleaning sample liquid thereof is avoided, and influence on the accuracy of a detection result is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of foodborne pathogen detection technology, and more specifically, to a device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Background Technology

[0002] Freshly cut fruits and vegetables retain their original freshness while undergoing processing to ensure cleanliness and hygiene, falling under the category of pre-cut vegetables. Natural, nutritious, fresh, convenient, and highly usable, they meet the needs of people pursuing a fast-paced, health-conscious lifestyle. Pathogenic microorganisms are diverse and rapidly mutating, requiring continuous advancements in rapid identification techniques. Currently, widely used methods for pathogen detection include direct smear microscopy, isolation and culture, biochemical reactions, serological reactions, nucleic acid hybridization, gene chips, and polymerase chain reactions. Chromogenic media are used for the selective growth and identification of microorganisms. In the last two decades, they have gained increasing popularity, even replacing some traditional culture media in many aspects. For example, international studies have shown that Vibrio chromogenic media can replace TCBS for culturing Vibrio parahaemolyticus, with significantly higher accuracy in identification.

[0003] A search revealed that Chinese utility model patent application number CN201920150746.9 discloses a rapid detection device for foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, comprising a sample liquid chamber, a pump, an enrichment chamber, a filter membrane plate, and a culture medium plate. The outlet of the sample liquid chamber is connected to one end of the pump, and the other end of the pump is connected to the upper side of the enrichment chamber. The lower end of the enrichment chamber is connected to a waste liquid pipe and a waste liquid collection container.

[0004] During use, a pump extracts the filtrate or buffer washing solution of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables from the sample chamber. However, this extraction process can damage foodborne pathogens within the filtrate, affecting the accuracy of the test. Furthermore, the filtrate is piped to the enrichment chamber, which makes it difficult to distribute it evenly across multiple microporous membranes, resulting in varying amounts of foodborne pathogens on each membrane and impacting the accuracy of the test results. Additionally, the separate design of the sample chamber, enrichment chamber, and waste collection container makes them inconvenient to handle, reducing their practicality. Utility Model Content

[0005] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0006] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this utility model provides a device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, thereby solving the technical problem mentioned in the background art where the pump easily damages the foodborne pathogens inside the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample during extraction, affecting the accuracy of the detection.

[0007] (II) Technical Solution

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, comprising a sample chamber, an enrichment chamber, a filter membrane plate, multiple microporous filter membranes, and multiple culture medium plates, wherein each of the multiple culture medium plates contains culture medium. The enrichment chamber is characterized by: a support plate fixedly connected to its upper interior; a placement groove is provided on the support plate; the filter membrane plate is placed inside the placement groove; multiple circular grooves are provided on the filter membrane plate; the multiple microporous filter membranes are respectively installed on the bottom interior of the multiple circular grooves; a cover plate is hinged to the top left side of the enrichment chamber; and the sample chamber is mounted on the cover plate. The sample chamber has a first connecting pipe on its left side, on which a first valve is installed. The first connecting pipe extends to a point below the cover plate and is connected to a second connecting pipe. The side end of the second connecting pipe is connected to multiple third connecting pipes. The bottom ends of the multiple third connecting pipes are connected to outlet pipes at positions corresponding to the multiple circular grooves. Multiple culture medium plates are connected to connecting mechanisms. This avoids the need to use a pump to deliver the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample to multiple microporous filter membranes, thus avoiding damage to some foodborne pathogens in the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample, and avoiding affecting the accuracy of the test results.

[0009] The present invention is further configured such that the connecting mechanism includes two fixing plates, and two vertical plates are fixedly connected to the top of each culture medium plate. The multiple vertical plates and the two fixing plates are connected by multiple connecting plates, which facilitates the insertion of multiple culture medium plates into the interior of multiple circular grooves.

[0010] The present invention is further configured such that four positioning posts are fixedly connected to the top of the filter membrane plate, and positioning grooves are provided on the two fixed plates at positions corresponding to the positioning posts, so as to facilitate the positioning of the fixed plates.

[0011] The present invention is further configured such that a liquid addition tube is connected to the top right side of the sample liquid chamber, and a tube cap is threaded to the top of the liquid addition tube, so as to facilitate the addition of fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample liquid into the sample liquid chamber.

[0012] The present invention is further configured such that a coarse filter element is installed on the bottom side of the inside of the liquid addition tube, which facilitates coarse filtration of fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution.

[0013] The present invention is further provided that each of the filter membrane plate and the two fixed plates is fixedly connected with a handle, so as to facilitate lifting the filter membrane plate and the fixed plate.

[0014] The present invention is further configured such that the support plate is provided with multiple flow ports, so that the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution falling onto the support plate can flow through the flow ports to the bottom of the enrichment chamber.

[0015] The present invention is further configured such that a drain pipe is connected to the bottom of the enrichment chamber, and a second valve is installed on the drain pipe to facilitate the discharge of waste liquid from the bottom side of the enrichment chamber.

[0016] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0017] Compared with the prior art, this utility model provides a device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] 1. Since the sample chamber is installed on the cover plate, when the first valve is opened, the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution inside the sample chamber flows out by gravity and flows into the interior of multiple circular grooves through the first connecting pipe, the second connecting pipe, the third connecting pipe and multiple outlet pipes, so as to avoid damaging the foodborne pathogens inside the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution and avoid affecting the accuracy of the test results.

[0019] 2. The fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution inside the sample chamber flows evenly into the interior of multiple circular grooves through the first connecting tube, the second connecting tube, the third connecting tube and multiple outlet tubes, so as to avoid large differences in the amount of foodborne pathogens on multiple microporous filter membranes and ensure the accuracy of detection of foodborne pathogens inside the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution.

[0020] 3. Since the sample liquid chamber is fixedly installed on the cover plate, the sample liquid chamber and the enrichment chamber are connected as a whole, which facilitates the overall transportation and improves its practicality. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a front structural diagram of the device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to this utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to this utility model;

[0023] Figure 3This is a structural diagram showing the connection between the enrichment chamber, support plate, and filter membrane plate in this utility model.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the enrichment chamber and the support plate in this utility model;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connection mechanism, multiple culture medium plates, and the connection of multiple culture media in this utility model;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cover plate, the first connecting pipe, the first valve, the second connecting pipe, the third connecting pipe and multiple liquid outlet pipes in this utility model.

[0027] In the diagram: 1. Sample solution chamber; 2. Enrichment chamber; 3. Filter membrane plate; 4. Microporous filter membrane; 5. Culture medium plate; 6. Culture medium; 7. Support plate; 8. Placement slot; 9. Circular slot; 10. Cover plate; 11. First connecting pipe; 12. First valve; 13. Second connecting pipe; 14. Third connecting pipe; 15. Discharge pipe; 16. Fixing plate; 17. Vertical plate; 18. Connecting plate; 19. Positioning column; 20. Positioning slot; 21. Liquid addition pipe; 22. Pipe cap; 23. Coarse filter element; 24. Handle; 25. Flow port; 26. Drain pipe; 27. Second valve. Detailed Implementation

[0028] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0029] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains.

[0030] In this utility model, unless otherwise stated, the orientations used, such as "up" and "down", usually refer to the direction shown in the accompanying drawings, or to the vertical, perpendicular, or gravitational direction; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "left" and "right" usually refer to the left and right shown in the accompanying drawings; "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours of each component itself, but the above directional terms are not used to limit this utility model.

[0031] Please see Figures 1-6This device is used for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. It includes a sample chamber 1, an enrichment chamber 2, a filter plate 3, multiple microporous filter membranes 4, and multiple culture medium plates 5. Each culture medium plate 5 contains culture medium 6. A support plate 7 is fixedly connected to the upper side of the interior of the enrichment chamber 2. Multiple outlets 25 are provided on the support plate 7 to allow the filtrate from the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables or its buffer washing sample solution falling onto the support plate 7 to flow through the outlets 25 to the bottom of the interior of the enrichment chamber 2. A placement groove 8 is provided on the support plate 7, and the filter plate 3 is placed inside the placement groove 8. Multiple circular grooves 9 are provided on the filter plate 3, and multiple microporous filter membranes 4 are respectively installed on the bottom of the multiple circular grooves 9. A drain pipe 26 is connected to the bottom of the enrichment chamber 2, and a second valve 27 is installed on the drain pipe 26 to facilitate the discharge of waste liquid from the bottom of the interior of the enrichment chamber 2. The top left side of the enrichment chamber 2... A cover plate 10 is hinged to the sample liquid chamber 1, which is mounted on the cover plate 10. A liquid addition pipe 21 is connected to the top right side of the sample liquid chamber 1. A pipe cap 22 is threaded to the top of the liquid addition pipe 21 to facilitate the addition of fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample liquid into the sample liquid chamber 1. A coarse filter element 23 is installed on the bottom side of the inside of the liquid addition pipe 21 to facilitate coarse filtration of the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample liquid. A first connecting pipe 11 is connected to the inside left side of the sample liquid chamber 1. A first valve 12 is installed on the first connecting pipe 11. A second connecting pipe 13 is connected to the end of the first connecting pipe 11 that extends below the cover plate 10. A plurality of third connecting pipes 14 are connected to the side end of the second connecting pipe 13. The bottom ends of the plurality of third connecting pipes 14 are connected to outlet pipes 15 at positions corresponding to the plurality of circular grooves 9. A connecting mechanism is connected to the plurality of culture medium plates 5.

[0032] Specifically, since the sample chamber 1 is installed on the cover plate 10, when the first valve 12 is opened, the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution inside the sample chamber 1 flows out by gravity and flows through the first connecting pipe 11, the second connecting pipe 13, the third connecting pipe 14 and multiple outlet pipes 15 into the interior of multiple circular grooves 9. This avoids damaging the foodborne pathogens inside the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution, thus avoiding affecting the accuracy of the test results. The cleaning sample solution flows evenly into the interior of multiple circular grooves 9 through the first connecting pipe 11, the second connecting pipe 13, the third connecting pipe 14 and multiple outlet pipes 15, avoiding large differences in the amount of foodborne pathogens on multiple microporous filter membranes 4, and ensuring the accuracy of the detection of foodborne pathogens in the filtrate of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables or its buffer cleaning sample solution. Since the sample chamber 1 is fixedly installed on the cover plate 10, the sample chamber 1 and the enrichment chamber 2 are connected as an integral structure, which facilitates the overall transportation of the sample chamber and improves its practicality.

[0033] Please see Figure 3 and Figure 5The connecting mechanism has two fixed plates 16, and two vertical plates 17 are fixedly connected to the top of each of the multiple culture medium plates 5. The multiple vertical plates 17 and the two fixed plates 16 are connected by multiple connecting plates 18. The filter membrane plate 3 and the two fixed plates 16 are fixedly connected to handles 24, which facilitates lifting the filter membrane plate 3 and the two fixed plates 16, and facilitates inserting the multiple culture medium plates 5 into the multiple circular grooves 9 respectively. The top of the filter membrane plate 3 is fixedly connected to four positioning posts 19, and the two fixed plates 16 are provided with positioning grooves 20 at the positions corresponding to the positioning posts 19, which facilitates positioning of the fixed plates 16.

[0034] Specifically, it facilitates the simultaneous placement of multiple culture medium plates 5 inside multiple circular grooves 9, and allows multiple culture mediums 6 to come into contact with foodborne pathogens on the microporous filter membrane 4, thus facilitating the detection of foodborne pathogens.

[0035] In summary, when using the overall equipment:

[0036] First, open the cover plate 10 and place the filter membrane plate 3 inside the placement groove 8. Then, close the cover plate 10. Next, add the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution into the sample chamber 1 through the addition pipe 21. Then, open the first valve 12. The fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution inside the sample chamber 1 flows evenly into the interior of multiple circular grooves 9 through the first connecting pipe 11, the second connecting pipe 13, the third connecting pipe 14, and multiple outlet pipes 15. Microorganisms are cut off by the microporous filter membrane 4 of the filter membrane plate 3. After the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable filtrate or its buffer washing sample solution inside the sample chamber 1 is drained, open the second valve 27. The waste liquid inside the enrichment chamber 2 is discharged through the drain pipe 26. After the waste liquid is drained, open the cover plate 10 and place the two fixing plates 16 on the filter membrane plate 3 through the handle 24. Insert multiple positioning columns 19 into the interior of multiple positioning grooves 20 respectively. At this time, multiple culture medium plates 5 are inserted into the grooves 20 respectively. The culture medium 6 is placed inside multiple circular grooves 9, and the culture medium 6 is brought into contact with the microporous filter membrane 4, so that the culture medium 6 and the corresponding microbial enrichment side of the microporous filter membrane 4 are in contact. Then, the filter membrane plate 3 is removed from the inside of the placement groove 8 and placed inside the culture chamber for microbial culture. Since the culture medium 6 of the culture medium plate 5 is a chromogenic culture medium 6 for detecting corresponding pathogenic microorganisms, the metabolites of microorganisms in the enrichment process are colored on the culture medium 6. Therefore, the corresponding microbial genus can be determined according to the color development of the corresponding chromogenic culture medium 6. The detection efficiency is high. For example, in the rapid detection of O157:H7 bacteria in common sample solutions, O157:H7 bacteria are purple, Escherichia coli and coliform bacteria are dark blue; other bacteria are yellow or colorless, Listeria monocytogenes is blue, and there is an opaque ring around the colony, etc. Among them, Listeria monocytogenes is blue and there is an opaque ring around the colony.

[0037] Of all the solutions mentioned above, those involving the connection between two components can be selected according to the actual situation, such as welding, bolt and nut connection, bolt or screw connection, or other known connection methods, which will not be elaborated here. For all the fixed connections mentioned above, welding is preferred. Although embodiments of this utility model have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this utility model. The scope of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, comprising a sample solution chamber, an enrichment chamber, a filter membrane plate, multiple microporous filter membranes, and multiple culture medium plates, wherein each of the multiple culture medium plates contains culture medium, characterized in that: A support plate is fixedly connected to the upper side of the enrichment chamber. A placement groove is provided on the support plate, and the filter membrane plate is placed inside the placement groove. The filter membrane plate is provided with multiple circular grooves, and multiple microporous filter membranes are respectively installed on the bottom side of the multiple circular grooves. A cover plate is hinged to the top left of the enrichment chamber, and the sample liquid chamber is installed on the cover plate. A first connecting pipe is connected to the left side of the sample liquid chamber. A first valve is installed on the first connecting pipe. A second connecting pipe is connected to the end of the first connecting pipe extending below the cover plate. Multiple third connecting pipes are connected to the side end of the second connecting pipe. The bottom ends of the multiple third connecting pipes are connected to outlet pipes at positions corresponding to the multiple circular grooves. A connecting mechanism is connected to the multiple culture medium plates.

2. The device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting mechanism includes two fixed plates, and two vertical plates are fixedly connected to the top of each culture medium plate. The multiple vertical plates and the two fixed plates are connected by multiple connecting plates.

3. The device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to claim 2, characterized in that: Four positioning posts are fixedly connected to the top of the filter membrane plate, and positioning grooves are provided on the two fixed plates at positions corresponding to the positioning posts.

4. The device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top right side of the sample liquid chamber is connected to a liquid addition tube, and the top end of the liquid addition tube is threaded with a tube cap.

5. The device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to claim 4, characterized in that: A coarse filter element is installed on the bottom inside the liquid addition tube.

6. The device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to claim 2, characterized in that: A handle is fixedly connected to both the filter membrane plate and the two fixing plates.

7. The device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support plate is provided with multiple liquid outlets.

8. The device for detecting foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the enrichment chamber is connected to a drain pipe, and a second valve is installed on the drain pipe.

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