Microbiological Testing & Analysis

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Funded by the Center for Produce Safety, a University of Georgia researcher is leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve the standard method for detection of viruses on foods, and then will use the method to study infectious norovirus persistence on berries.

As part of the agency’s Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a report detailing the results of targeted inspections and microbiological testing of leafy greens grown in Salinas Valley, California during the region’s 2022 harvest season.

A recent study has analyzed methods of environmental monitoring for Listeria monocytogenes in food production facilities, comparing two alternative methods against a traditional culture-based method.

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.

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.

Two complimentary studies funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) are using genomic sequencing technology to examine how storage conditions affect microbial growth on pears, with a focus on Listeria monocytogenes.

Ongoing debates about the use of rapid test methods in food safety have led to the rise of the question: Has the vast increase in outsourcing testing to contract labs made rapid methods less useful, or is the ease of use and speed of the methods still important (if not essential) for better management and decision-making in food safety? Food Safety Insights asks food safety professionals their opinions on this question.