Four Ways LAMP Technology Is Lighting Up Rapid Pathogen Testing
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) revised its Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook (MLG), the official guide to the preferred methods the agency uses when testing samples collected from audits and inspections. Notably, the MLG updated the rapid methods surrounding Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes testing (crucial for meat, poultry, fish, and egg producers) to feature the 3M™ Molecular Detection System.
3M’s DNA-based food safety test, based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology, is already used in more than 50 countries by food processors, contract laboratories, universities, and governments, has been referenced in thousands of peer-reviewed journal articles, and holds top international awards for innovation. However, the MLG’s new inclusion of the 3M system as a rapid method for Salmonella (the majority of its testing) and L. monocytogenes adds important new luster. After all, USDA has the power to cease operations and invoke recalls, and the ramifications of its testing reverberate worldwide.