CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) – Can artificial intelligence be used to prevent food poisoning? That’s the question a local professor hopes to answer with his new research study.

Anas Alsobeh of Southern Illinois University is working to use AI to detect bacteria before they enter the food supply.

He said such research could help prevent outbreaks like the recent deadly E.coli cases linked to McDonald’s.

“We train AI models on the specific characteristics of dangerous bacteria,” Alsobeh said.

Alsobeh said this new way of testing food for bacteria could prevent you from being served bad food.

“Traditional testing methods. In fact, it takes a few days, but we aim to find a solution or technology to quickly detect dangerous bacteria like salmonella and E.coli in a few hours,” Alsobeh said.

Alsobeh is testing onion AI technology, the possible source of the McDonald’s outbreak.

“This outbreak involving McDonald’s comes from onions. Onions are considered the main source of retention of many dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli,” Alsobeh said.

The USDA recently awarded the professor a $15,000 grant to further his studies.

“It helped us define the most advanced microscopic imaging technology and detect high-resolution images, and this helps us do more robust experiments,” Alsobeh said.

He also hopes it will be money well spent.

“This data project will help us as a customer to be more confident in our food and industry and a more secure supply chain,” Alsobeh said.

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