Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Exhibit Hall D (Indiana Convention Center)
Erin Crowley, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Patrick Bird, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Jonathan Flannery, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Benjamin Bastin, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Kiel Fisher, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
M. Joseph Benzinger, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Kateland Koch, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
David Goins, Q Laboratories, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Meredith Sutzko, Romer Lab Technologies, Inc., Newark, DE
Mark Muldoon, Romer Labs Technologies, Inc., Newark, DE
Introduction: Current
Salmonella cultural methods are often time consuming and can take up to 5 days to obtain a negative result. There is a strong need in the food industry to have methods that are rapid and accurate, yet simple to use. The Romer Lab’s RapidChek SELECT
Salmonella Test System employs a proprietary media supplemented with phage to accurately detect foodborne pathogens in food and environmental surfaces. The new technology utilizes phage as a selective agent during enrichment, and with innovative immuno-strips, improves sensitivity and specificity while decreasing the presence of cross reactive and competitive bacteria, reducing the chance for false positive results in high burden samples.
Purpose: The purpose of this evaluation was to evaluate the new method, along with two commercially available enzyme immunoassays and three PCR assays, for the detection of Salmonella on stainless steel environmental surfaces.
Methods: Using an unpaired study design, each method was evaluated against 30 stainless steel test portions: 20 test portions inoculated at a low inoculation level of ~100 CFU/4”x4”; 5 test portions inoculated at a high inoculation level of ~400 CFU/4”x4”; and 5 uninoculated control test portions. After sample enrichment and incubation, test portions were assayed by following the instructions for use (IFU) for each of the six methods. Samples were confirmed following procedures outlined in the USDA/FSIS-MLG 4.06.
Results: Results for each assay were compared to the MLG method by a POD statistical analysis. No significant differences were observed between the new method and the reference method.
Significance: This new method demonstrated reliability as an alternative, rapid method for the detection of Salmonella species on environmental surfaces.
