Hygiena Introduces More Accurate, PCR-based Alternative to Quantify Salmonella Contamination in Poultry
Hygiena has introduced a method that uses the BAX® System for Real-Time PCR to more accurately quantify the amount of Salmonella in poultry facilities. The method, which is an alternative to traditional Most Probable Number (MPN) technique, was unveiled at the International Association for Food Protection annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.
Currently, poultry and other commodity production facilities utilize the MPN method to enumerate Salmonella. Most Probable Numbers, however, is costly, labor-intensive, and can take up to 72 hours to gather results from serial dilutions. Salmonella has been a constant concern for the poultry industry, and the US Department of Agriculture has begun demanding prevalence levels of no higher than 23 percent in a facility. Currently, poultry production facilities have been recording 50 percent prevalence rates on average, and processors have been searching for better, more accurate detection and quantification techniques that provide increased resolution into their food safety programs.