Ongoing debates about the use of rapid microbiological test methods in food safety have led to the rise of many questions about the future of this type of testing. This column will explore which methods are being used, food processors' views on what attributes of the tests are most important, how fast is fast enough, and what even faster tests would enable them to accomplish. It also explores where the growth may continue and whether rapid methods used in commercial labs will continue to drive growth, or if a plateau is likely. Growth in regions outside of the U.S. and Europe will also be examined, along with whether rapid testing technology is evolving to the point where it may be acceptable to bring back the analysis to an in-plant lab.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a draft guidance for industry on collecting samples for testing seafood products subject to Detention Without Physical Examination (DWPE).
With a $5 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), a multidisciplinary research team is developing sensor-based rapid detection technology, backed by an artificial intelligence (AI) –powered decision support system, to control Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens throughout the poultry supply chain.
Using whole genome sequencing (WGS), U.S. federal and state public health officials recently solved a multistate foodborne illness outbreak investigation that has been ongoing since 2014, with the most recent illnesses being reported in December 2023.
The new Fumo-V™ ONE Strip Test from Waters Corporation can test for fumonisin and other prevalent mycotoxins in finished animal feed and pet food in less than ten minutes.
USDA’s Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary for 2022 shows that more than 99 percent of products sampled through PDP had residues below tolerances set by EPA. However, testing for persistent environmental contaminants that are no longer used as pesticides in the U.S. showed the presence of certain banned chemicals in some foods.
A recent study published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a supporting publication has revealed that certain genetic criteria may determine the food safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and could lay the groundwork for developing new methods to assess the risks of genetically engineered food and feed.
Ancera has unveiled the release of two new microbial detection tools designed to identify and enumerate Clostridium perfringens and total viable bacteria (TVB) in poultry.
A fully automated assay to detect Cyclospora cayetanensis, developed under a Research Collaboration Agreement between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Rheonix, is now available to food and environmental testing laboratories, and has been proven to achieve consistent detection rates in samples of high-risk fresh produce with low levels of oocysts.
RSS
