Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Testing & AnalysisMicrobiological

Real-Time PCR Test Speeds Time to Results

October 1, 2009

Salmonella causes one of the most common intestinal infections in the United States—salmonellosis. Overall, it is the second most common bacterial foodborne illness reported (usually slightly less frequent than Campylobacter infection) in the U.S. The incidence of Salmonella infections has remained between 14 and 16 cases per 100,000 persons since the first years of surveillance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates that 1.4 million cases occur each year.

Aemtek Inc. is a microbiology laboratory that provides analytical services to the food, pharmaceutical and environmental industries. Its goal is to help food manufacturers, processors, packagers and importers ensure food safety and safeguard their brands. The company’s services include pathogen detection, indicator organism quantification, environmental sampling plans, Good Manufacturing Practices, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures and audits, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance, risk management and product recall management.

Searching for a Faster Method
As Aemtek performs hold-and-release pathogen testing, turnaround time is an important factor for the clients that they serve. For products with short shelf lives or for products in urgent demand, a reduction in holding time was greatly needed. Some of Aemtek’s clients wanted the company to switch from the use of culture-based methods to PCR-based methods, since culture-based methods often take three days or more from beginning to end.

Previously, the company was using FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) testing. This process takes 72–96 hours (3–4 days), depending on the food sample being analyzed, and must be followed by biochemical/serological confirmation of Salmonella contamination, increasing the time to results to as long as five days. The need to simplify and speed the process led Aemtek to research PCR-based methods that would allow for faster results and reporting with comparable sensitivity and specificity. From the laboratory’s point of view, a method that requires fewer hands-on procedures without sacrificing accuracy and precision was preferred, because fewer steps mean fewer chances to make mistakes.

Florence Wu, Ph.D., president of Aemtek, was asked what drew the company to seek out Bio-Rad’s product. “Bio-Rad has a reputation of being innovative and user-friendly,” she said. “We had been using Bio-Rad’s instruments and reagents, so when Bio-Rad’s representative approached us with their product, we were open to their ideas. When our clients demanded large-volume Salmonella testing, we evaluated Bio-Rad’s iQ-Check Salmonella II Kit and decided to use it, partly due to the technical advantages of this product and partly due to the fact that Bio-Rad offered us an instrument rental solution.”

The iQ-Check PCR kit has several advantages: 1) it has documented sensitivity and specificity as validated by AOAC performance testing because it uses gene-specific probes and primers; 2) it does not require proprietary media enrichment (instead, buffered peptone water is used for sample enrichment); 3) there are no special sample preparation or pre-enrichment requirements, so the process is fast; 4) the required sample incubation time is easy to insert into a typical laboratory work flow; 5) DNA extraction and PCR preparation steps are few and simple, reagents are ready to use and internal control is included; 6) the PCR setup system is scientifically sound and the PCR software interface is user-friendly; and 7) the PCR instrument is small and does not require much benchtop space. In addition, Bio-Rad’s representatives are known to be helpful, resourceful and professional, and to provide proper training of the system.

This real-time PCR kit also allows rapid control and reaction times in HACCP procedures. With this high-throughput methodology, 94 samples can be processed simultaneously, and the test can be performed in parallel with other iQ-Check tests on the 96-well real-time instrument (tests are available for E. coli O157:H7, Listeria spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter). Bio-Rad also offers a smaller 48-well real-time instrument for laboratories with lower throughput.

Aemtek tests all significant food pathogens and indicator organisms to provide superior service to its clients. “The highest demand for testing is Salmonella. We were deeply involved in recent product recall testing and consulting and tested several hundred product and environmental samples for Salmonella. Bio-Rad’s iQ-Check Salmonella II Kit enabled us to provide our client with accurate, fast and reliable data that helped both the regulatory agencies and our client in the decision-making process,” Wu noted. “In other cases, we have helped clients in their daily/in-process testing using this kit to meet their quality control demands.”

For Aemtek, Bio-Rad’s iQ-Check Salmonella II Kit is an alternative to the BAM method because of its sensitivity and specificity. Its simplicity and user-friendly features allow the proper training of laboratory technicians and the production of laboratory results more efficiently. This rapid method benefits Aemtek’s clients through reliable analytical services and enables the company to grow in the laboratory testing business.

www.foodscience.bio-rad.com

 

>

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Contamination Control
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Training
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Best Practices
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • mold
    Sponsored byIFC

    Tackling Mold Remediation in Food Processing Plants

  • a worker in a food processing plant
    Sponsored byLPS® DETEX®

    How a Beverage Facility Improved Food Safety and Compliance with Detectable Packaging Solutions

  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

Popular Stories

carton of dozen brown eggs

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs Ends With One Dead, 38 Hospitalized

close-up shot of nickel metal

New EU Maximum Levels for Nickel Now Apply to Dozens of Foods

blue iced donuts next to pie of sugar with blue written in it

FDA Authorizes Use of Fourth ‘Natural’ Food Dye, Gardenia Blue

Events

July 22, 2025

Beyond the Binder: Digital Management of Food Safety

Live: July 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn best practices for the use of digital food safety management systems across industry and regulatory agencies.

August 7, 2025

Achieve Active Managerial Control of Major Risk Factors Using a Food Safety Management System

Live: August 7, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn about changes to the FDA Food Code, which now includes a requirement for FSMS. 

May 11, 2026

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • Real-Time PCR Test Kit Provides Faster Time to Results

    See More
  • Meat & Poultry Manufacturers to See Quantifiable, Real-Time Testing Results with New Leak Detection Technology

    See More
  • Bio-Rad Launches iQ-Check Vibrio Real-Time PCR Detection Kit, a Fast PCR Alternative for Vibrio Detection

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 9781138198463.jpg

    Food Safety Management Programs: Applications, Best Practices, and Compliance

  • Food-Forensics-3D.jpg

    Food Forensics Handbook Practice, Instrumentation, Case Studies

  • 1119258073.jpg

    FSMA and Food Safety Systems: Understanding and Implementing the Rules

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Bio-Rad Laboratories

    Bio-Rad produces tests for food, water and cannabis safety, including real-time PCR test kits for detection of key pathogens, culture media for nutritive enrichment and RAPID chromogenic media with easy colony identification for detection of pathogens and enumeration of quality indicators
  • TAAG Labs

    Transforming food safety with the first fully interconnected and comprehensive suite of multiplex molecular diagnostics kits, advanced lab services, and AI-powered software. Our game-changing proprietary PCR kits can deliver precise results in just 3 hours, without enrichment. Join us in setting a new standard for speed, sensitivity, and smart diagnostics.
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing