MEAT+POULTRY - February 2015 - 56

EQUIPMENT

E S S E N T I A L S * A D V E RTO R I A L

LISTERIA testing results: It's about time
A new food-safety technology delivers results with record speed.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt set an
Olympic world record in the 100 and
200 meters, en route to claiming the
title of fastest man in the world. In the
food safety arena, FoodChek™ Systems
Inc. (FoodChek) and DuPont Nutrition &
Health have combined to shatter the 24
hour time-to-results barrier for Listeria
monocytogenes, en route to becoming
one of the fastest tests available in the
industry.
Calgary, Alberta-based FoodChek and
Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont
Nutrition & Health recently collaborated
to introduce a combined testing method
of a 20 hour enrichment in FoodChek's
patented Actero™ Listeria Enrichment
Media followed by two hours of sample
preparation and processing with the
DuPont™ BAX® System real-time PCR
assays for Listeria. This has resulted in a 22
hour test for Listeria, significantly cutting
the time to results for Listeria testing
in environmental samples. The test will
soon be certified as a Performance Tested
Method by the AOAC Research Institute
(AOAC-RI), a globally recognized thirdparty validation organization for food
safety tests.

Meat and poultry processors using this test
will experience significantly faster growth
and detection of Listeria, meaning they will
improve throughput and gain more control
of their production operations, according to
FoodChek and DuPont.
"This knowledge is critical to a company's
ability to detect a microbiological issue
before it affects finished product," explains
Morgan Wallace, Senior Microbiologist and
Validations Leader for DuPont Nutrition &
Health Diagnostics. He notes that processors
will also experience improved operational

efficiencies because of reduced holding
costs with their products.
"Because of the long wait times associated
with environmental Listeria testing, some
meat and poultry manufacturers may elect
to release product for shipment before the
test results are confirmed. This exposes
them to needless risks and the potential for
a recall," Wallace says. "Other manufacturers
may hold product until Listeria results are
confirmed, incurring additional holding
costs and a reduced shelf-life for their
product once it is released."
This new, easy-to-use test will help
processors in both situations by lessening
the risk of shipped product reaching the
market before results are available and
significantly reducing the hold time required
for product before test results are confirmed.
According to William J. Hogan, President
and CEO of FoodChek, food processors
have been asking for faster time-to-results
for Listeria testing, particularly during the
enrichment phase, which can take up to 48
hours. Hogan says the combined test is a
"game-changing breakthrough in global
food safety pathogen testing for Listeria;
one that will set new standards for its rapid
detection".
Fast times
DuPont teamed up with FoodChek about a
year ago to develop the test. DuPont liked
the fact that FoodChek's Actero™ Listeria
Media significantly accelerates sample
enrichment.

The DuPont™ BAX® System was the first automated pathogen detection system to use PCR
technology in the commercial food industry. The BAX® System instrument amplifies bacterial DNA
through a series of timed heating and cooling cycles that provide the ideal environment for repeated
DNA replication. It also automatically detects the presence or absence of the target pathogen and
provides clear "yes or no".

MEAT+ POULTRY | 02.15 | www.meatpoultry.com

MEAT+POULTRY - February 2015

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