Optical sensor system for the detection of mold: Concept for a fully automated sensor system for the detection of airborne fungal spores

Fungal contaminations in public buildings, food industry or private residences are a risk to economy and human health. A new innovative optical sensor system developed for the detection of airborne fungal spores is presented in this document. Furthermore, the results from the study were used to develop a concept for a fully automated mold sensor system which detects a contamination in minutes. The functionality of the sensor is based on the analysis of air samples via image processing. Air aerosol is collected and prepared on adhesive tape. Images were captured afterwards using a color camera and a microscope objective. As last step the images were analyzed by software. The end results of this work showed that the system was able to detect, differ and count spores within minutes without the need of incubation. Furthermore, based on the innovative use of an adhesive tape the automation will be easy and cost-effective.