USDA Awards Researcher $150,000 to Develop Rapid AI Detection System for Salmonella on Onions
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A researcher from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU Carbondale) has received a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) -based rapid detection method for Salmonella on onions.
The project, led by Anas Alsobeh, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in of Information Technology at SIU Carbondale, will be completed by July 2026. He is working on a system that leverages convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to automatically detect the presence of Salmonella. The technology then uses a combination of microscopic imaging and AI to compare samples of the pathogen against a database of images of Salmonella microcolonies at early stages of growth.
Early validation of the system has showed promising results for real-time detection, with potential for application in high-volume food operations. Dr. Alsobeh believes the technology could provide a cost-effective, rapid, and non-destructive Salmonella detection solution.
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