041048 Experimental Chicken Machine Stolen From LabOctober 30, 2004Athens, GA - An unusual and expensive machine used to measure bacteria in chicken meat has gone missing from a lab at the University of Georgia, and authorities say they have no idea what someone would want to with the $30,000 machine. The machine, called a Daikin Dox, is about the size of a bread box and is used to detect dangerous bacteria in food. "It measures microbial growth by measuring dissolved oxygen in a growth medium - a rapid method for counting bacteria," said Scott Russell, associate professor of poultry processing and products microbiology. "We were trying to figure out new applications for it." The machine performs bacteria tests much faster than traditional methods, which take about 48 hours. Russell isn't even sure exactly when the machine went missing. The police report states the time of robbery between April 10 and Sept. 1. Russell said he didn't notice the theft because he completed a project in early April and put the machine away. He doubted the robber would be able to sell the machine or do anything with it. "Even microbiologists don't know what it is. I'm probably one of three people in the entire state who knows what it's used for," Russell said.
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