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Faster Salmonella detection has meat
applications Source of Article: http://www.meatnews.com/news/headline_stories.asp?ArticleID=99709
AMES, IOWA – Researchers at Iowa State University researchers say a new
technique for testing for Salmonella in produce may also have meat applications.
Using a sampling method that utilizes the application of adhesive tape to
food surfaces, the researchers believe the technique will provide food safety
officials with more accurate and faster results during the investigation of foodborne illness outbreaks. The process was developed by
Byron Brehm-Stecher, assistant professor in food
science and human nutrition, and his graduate student Bledar
Bisha, initially for produce applications, and
utilizes ultraviolet light to identify the pathogen. The tape is applied to the surface of the produce, then
carefully removed, taking a sample of whatever is on the skin. That sample is
then put on a slide and soaked in a special warm, soapy mixture that contains
a genetic marker that binds with Salmonella and gives off a
fluorescent glow when viewed under an ultraviolet light. Use of this genetic
marker approach is called Fluorescent In-Situ Hybridization, or F.I.S.H. The approach can tell investigators if the produce is contaminated with salmonella
in about two hours. When MEATPOULTRY.com asked if this method could be used on meat or
poultry, Mr. Brehm-Stecher answered, "We have
only used it for produce at this point, but tape-based sampling techniques
have been used previously for sampling of meats for subsequent deposition
onto agar media for growth [Dr. Daniel Fung at Kansas State University has
been active in this area]. |
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