WO2000012008A1

WO2000012008A1 - A sampling device

Info

Publication number: WO2000012008A1
Application number: PCT/IE1999/000081
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ciaran Niall Meghen; Edward Patrick Cunningham; Daniel Gerard Bradley; David Evan Machugh; Ronan Thomas Loftus
Original assignee: Parlanca Limited
Priority date: 1998-08-26
Filing date: 1999-08-04
Publication date: 2000-03-09
Also published as: GB0104303D0; AU5189999A; GB2357839A

Abstract

A sampling device (1) comprising a handle portion (3), a penetrative portion (4) at least partially insertable in a product to be sampled and a sample receiving means (16) characterised in that the sample receiving means (16) is located on the penetrative portion (4) and the penetrative portion (4) comprises resistance minimising means (7, 8, 23) to minimise product resistance to the sampling device upon insertion and resistance maximising means (12, 13, 14, 16) to maximise contact of the sample receiving means (16) with product upon retraction.

Description

"A sampling device"

This invention relates to a sampling device and in particular to a biopsy-type or meat sampling device.

Frequently, in the analysis of meat or meat-based products, it is necessary to take samples of the product. Various devices are available for taking such samples and include biopsy punch-type devices in which a round barrel having a sharpened edge is inserted into a meat product and subsequently withdrawn together with a disk-like sample of the meat in the barrel. Other devices include simple plastics knife-type devices having a serrated blade for use in cutting meat samples from a meat product.

A number of disadvantages exist with known devices. Firstly, a single sample only of meat is removed with each sampling action. For example, the punch-type devices can remove a single and comparatively large disk-like sample only from meat while the knife-type devices also require multiple sampling steps to obtain multiple samples separately from the meat. In addition, the weight, volume and shape of the meat samples removed from a meat product are generally poorly reproducible or completely unreproducible. For example, with punch-type devices the disklike sample may have an irregular shape at the open end of the barrel where the meat is withdrawn or pulled from the meat product. Similarly, the use of knife-type devices relies on the skill of the person taking the sample to achieve any degree of reproducibility. Punch-type and knife-type devices can also result in visible damage to the surface of the meat product.

Punch-type devices are also generally made up of a metal barrel and a plastics handle and accordingly are expensive to produce. Clearly, where multiple or large scale sampling is required, the use of such punch-type devices can give rise to considerable undesirable expense. In addition, where analyses such as DNA analyses are to be carried out on a sample only comparatively small samples are required - large samples being unnecessary. Moreover, such analyses are sometimes carried out on a retail meat cut. Accordingly, it is desirable that the sampling device should not result in visible damage to the meat cut.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the problems of the prior art.

A further object of the invention is to provide a meat sampling device adapted to extract multiple samples or subsamples from a meat product.

According to the invention there is provided a sampling device comprising a handle portion, a penetrative portion at least partially insertable in a product to be sampled and a sample receiving means characterised in that the sample receiving means is located on the penetrative portion and the penetrative portion comprises resistance minimising means to minimise product resistance to the sampling device upon insertion and resistance maximising means to maximise contact of the sample receiving means with product upon retraction.

Preferably, the resistance minimising means comprises a leading sharp tip on the penetrative portion. More preferably, the resistance minimising means comprises side walls inwardly tapered towards a central longitudinal axis of the penetrative portion.

Advantageously, the resistance minimising means comprises a convergent top face on the penetrative portion. Suitably, the resistance minimising means also comprises a convergent bottom face on the penetrative portion.

In one embodiment of the invention, the resistance maximising means comprises at least one serrated edge on the walls rearward of the leading sharp tip. Preferably, the resistance maximising means further comprises two oppositely disposed serrated edges on the oppositely disposed walls rearward of the leading sharp tip.

Advantageously, the serrated edge comprises a series of subsample notches defined between a series of teeth, the subsample notches defining the sample receiving means.

Preferably, the handle portion and the penetrative portion are contiguous.

Suitably, the leading sharp tip is defined by the convergent top face, bottom face and the side walls of the penetrative portion.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the penetrative portion comprises at least two sample receiving means.

Advantageously, the handle portion comprises gripping means. Suitably the gripping means comprises a textured panel and preferably the textured panel comprises ridges.

Preferably, the handle portion further comprises a labelling means and suitably the labelling means comprises a panel adapted to receive a label.

Therefore, the invention provides a sampling device comprising a handle portion and a penetrative portion at least partially insertable in a product to be sampled characterised in that the penetrative portion comprises a leading sharp tip insertable in a product and sample receiving means following the leading sharp tip.

The invention facilitates the reproducible and accurate multiple sampling of meat products by extracting multiple subsamples in a single sampling step without damaging a meat cut excessively. Moreover, the sampling device of the invention is shaped and contoured to facilitate easy insertion in a meat product without requiring skill. The meat sampling device of the invention can be stored together with the samples for example by freezing where analysis of the samples is required later or where samples remaining on the sampling device following analysis are required for subsequent reference or use.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only having regard to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above and one side of a meat sampling device in accordance with the invention showing the labelled panel and the textured panel of the device;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the meat sampling device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the meat sampling device;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the meat sampling device;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the meat sampling device, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view from above and one side of the tip of the meat sampling device.

As shown in the drawings, a meat sampling device for extracting multiple samples or subsamples of meat from a meat product is generally indicated by the reference numeral 1. The meat sampling device 1 is made up of an elongate shaft portion 2 having a handle portion 3, and a penetrative tapered portion 4 extending from and contiguous with the handle portion 3.

The shaft 2 is made up of a top face 5, a bottom face 6, two side walls 7 and an end wall 27. The handle portion 3 is substantially rectangular in shape while the tapered portion 4 is provided with a tip 8 where the side walls 7 converge at its free end remote from the handle portion 3.

The top face 5 of the handle portion 3 is provided with a substantially rectangular raised textured panel 9 made up of a plurality of parallel ridges 10 extending upwards from the top face 5. The textured panel 9 facilitates gripping of the sampling device 1 and is disposed adjacent the free end of the handle portion 3. An elongate rectangular recessed label panel 11 is also defined in the top face 5 between the textured panel 9 and the tapered portion 4. The label panel 11 is adapted to receive annotations or a suitably shaped adhesive label (not shown) to identify the sample extracted with the meat sampling device 1.

As indicated above, the tapered portion 4 is defined by inwardly tapering side walls 7 of the meat sampling device 1. The tapered portion 4 terminates at the tip 8 where the side walls 7 either side and rearwardly of the tip 8 towards the handle portion 3 are provided with a first serrated edge 12 and a second serrated edge 13 respectively. Each serrated edge 12,13 is made up of teeth 14 defined in the side walls 7.

Each tooth of the teeth 14 is made up of a flat face 15 contiguous with the plane defined by the side walls 7 and interrupted by notches 16 which extend inwards into the tapered portion 4 of the sampling device 1 from the flat faces 15 for receiving subsamples in a single sampling step. The first serrated edge 12 and the second serrated edge 13 are each made up of four teeth 14 and four corresponding subsample notches 16. The subsample notches 16 of the serrated edges 12,13 therefore are adapted to receive meat samples during sampling so that up to a total of eight subsamples can be taken during a single sampling operation.

Each subsample notch 16 is defined by a first notch wall 17 inclined inwards into the tapered portion 4 substantially in the direction of, but at an angle to the taper of the walls 7 of the tapered portion 4 i.e. disposed at an angle to the angle of the taper of the tapered portion 4 and a second notch wall 18 which also extends inwards into the tapered portion 4 at an angle to the taper of the tapered portion 4 to meet the first notch wall 17 to define each subsample notch 16.

In the present embodiment of the invention the first notch wall 17 is disposed at an angle of approximately 45° to the second notch wall 18. However, in other embodiments of the invention it is envisaged that the first notch wall 17 could be disposed at smaller or larger angles to the second notch wall 18 e.g. angles in the range of from about 40° to about 70°.

The angle of incidence of the first notch wall 17 and the second notch wall 18 is selected to maximise sampling of meat within the subsample notches 16 in a reproducible fashion and it has been found that an angle of about 45° is suitable for most applications. However, the angle of incidence selected is also related to the degree of taper of the walls 7.

The tip 8 is bevelled or contoured to define a first convergent top face 19 and a second convergent top face 20 which converge at the tip 8 to define a sharp point 23 at the free end of the tapered portion 4. The sharp point 23 is further defined by a first convergent bottom face 21 and a second convergent bottom face 22 contoured at the tip 8.

The first convergent top face 19 and the second convergent top face 20 meet at an edge 24 oriented substantially downwards between the first convergent top face 19 and the second convergent top face 20 substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the meat sampling device 1.

Similarly, the first convergent top face 19 and the first convergent bottom face 21 meet at an edge 25 disposed diagonally inwards towards the tip 8 while the second convergent top face 20 and the second convergent bottom face 21 also define an edge 26 also disposed substantially inwards towards the sharp point 23.

The convergent walls 7, the tip 8, the sharp point 23, the first and second convergent top faces 19,20, the first and second convergent bottom faces 21,22 and the edges 24,25,26 defined therebetween in combination provide a resistance minimising penetrative portion 4 which is easily insertable in a reproducible and effective manner into meat products for extracting multiple subsamples therefrom.

The teeth 14 and the notches 16 of the serrated edges 12,13 in combination define resistance maximising means to maximise contact of the subsample notches with product upon retraction of the penetrative portion 4 from a meat product.

In use, a meat sampling device 1 in accordance with the invention may be labelled at the label panel 11 to indicate or identify the meat product from which a sample is to be taken. Alternatively the label panel 11 may be labelled following removal of a meat sample. The meat sampling device 1 of the invention is simply held at the handle portion 3 and inserted into a meat product at the tip 8 by inserting the tip 8 into the meat product. The textured panel 11 enhances the grippability of the sampling device 1. The sampling device 1 of the invention is inserted into the meat product to a sufficient depth so that the serrated edges 12,13 of the tip 8 are fully received into the meat sample. As previously described, the sharp point 23, the tapered side walls, the angle of the notches 16 and the contouring of the tip 8 facilitate comparatively easy insertion of the meat sampling device into the meat product with low resistance from the meat product.

The meat sampling device 1 is then simply removed or retracted from the meat product so that meat subsamples are retained within the subsample notches 16 by clawing or cutting through meat disposed inwardly of the meat product surface during retraction of the meat sampling device. The notches 16 achieve a cutting or clawing contact with the meat product during retraction due to the comparatively high resistance to retraction of the tip offered by the meat product due to the orientation of the notches 16 and the tapered walls 7. Accordingly, due to the presence of the convergent eight subsample notches 16 on the tip 8 of the meat sampling device 1, up to eight subsamples are simultaneously extracted from the meat product in a single sampling step.

Moreover, the notches 16 are shaped and sized so that up to eight substantially identical samples can be extracted from a single meat product at a single location with minimal visible damage to the meat product. Accordingly, the meat sampling device 1 of the invention facilitates multiple analyses to be carried out on multiple subsamples removed in a single sampling step. Moreover, should an analysis fail on a single subsample removed from one of the subsample notches 16, the further subsamples in the remaining subsample notches 16 facilitate repeat of the analysis.

The meat sampling device 1 of the invention can be stored (e.g. frozen) together with the subsamples on the tip 8 and the samples on the tip 8 removed later as required where additional analyses are required.

The sampling device is typically manufactured from a plastics material such as polyethylene, polypropylene and the like or any other suitable material which is food-safe and break or shatter proof.

Example

Fresh pork and beef meat products were sampled employing the sampling device 1 of the invention. The results are outlined in Table 1 below: TABLE 1

Subsamplinq achieved employing sampling device on pork and beef meat products

In 30 sampling events for each of the two meat product types (pork and beef) the device of the invention retrieved meat samples in the range of 0.0083g to O.OOlg. The quantity of material yielded per sample step provided suitable amounts of DNA for subsequent PCR based analyses.

The sampling device of the invention therefore clearly has the capacity to retrieve up to eight approximately equal meat subsamples. The number of subsamples varied from two to eight, with 4.4 and 4.56 being the mean number of subsamples retrieved from pork and beef respectively per device. Accordingly, the device facilitated complete retesting of the source material where necessary.

Claims

1. A sampling device (1) comprising a handle portion (3), a penetrative portion (4) at least partially insertable in a product to be sampled and a sample receiving means (16) characterised in that the sample receiving means (16) is located on the penetrative portion (4) and the penetrative portion (4) comprises resistance minimising means (7,8,23) to minimise product resistance to the sampling device upon insertion and resistance maximising means (12,13,14,16) to maximise contact of the sample receiving means (16) with product upon retraction.

2. A sampling device (1) as claimed in Claim 1 characterised in that the resistance minimising means (7,8,23) comprises a leading sharp tip (23) on the penetrative portion (4).

3. A sampling device (1) as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterised in that the resistance minimising means (7,8,23) comprises side walls (7) inwardly tapered towards a central longitudinal axis of the penetrative portion (4).

4. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3 characterised in that the resistance minimising means (7,8,23) comprises a convergent top face (19,20) on the penetrative portion (4).

5. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the resistance minimising means (7,8,23) comprises a convergent bottom face (21,22) on the penetrative portion (4).

6. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 3 to 5 characterised in that the resistance maximising means (12,13,14,16) comprises at least one serrated edge (12,13) on the side walls (7) rearward of the leading sharp tip (23).

7. A sampling device (1) as claimed in Claim 6 characterised in that the resistance maximising means (12,13,14,16) comprises two oppositely disposed serrated edges (12,13) on oppositely disposed walls (7) rearward of the leading sharp tip (23).

8. A sampling device (1) as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7 characterised in that the serrated edge (12,13) comprises a series of subsample notches (16) defined between a series of teeth (14), the subsample notches (16) defining the sample receiving means (16).

9. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 8 characterised in that the handle portion (3) and the penetrative portion (4) are contiguous.

10. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 5 to 9 characterised in that the leading sharp tip (23) is defined by the convergent top face (19,20), bottom face (21,22) and the side walls (7) of the penetrative portion (4).

11. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 10 characterised in that the penetrative portion (4) comprises at least two sample receiving means (16).

12. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11 characterised in that the handle portion (3) comprises gripping means (9).

13. A sampling device (1) as claimed in Claim 12 characterised in that the gripping means (9) comprises a textured panel (9).

14. A sampling device (1) as claimed in Claim 12 characterised in that the textured panel (9) comprises ridges (10).

15. A sampling device (1) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 14 characterised in that the handle portion (3) further comprises labelling means (11).

16. A sampling device (1) as claimed in Claim 15 characterised in that the labelling means (11) further comprises a panel (11) adapted to receive a label.