Submitted to: Food Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: February 5, 2003
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
Citation: Bhagwat, A.A. 2003. Rapid detection of Salmonella from vegetable rinse-water using a real-time PCR. Food Microbiology. 21:73-78.
Interpretive Summary: Conventional methods to detect human pathogens may take up to one week to accurately predict the presence of human pathogens. Considering the limited shelf life of produce, rapid methods for pathogen detection are required. Real-time detection of Salmonella strains will broaden our ability to screen large numbers of samples in a short period of time. In this study, a DNA based detection method for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, approved by the Association of American Chemists, has been modified to enable rapid detection and quantitative analysis. Consumers and the fresh produce industry, as well as regulatory-action agencies such as FDA, will benefit from the results of this research.
Technical Abstract:
A PCR-based method for the detection of Salmonella spp. from fresh vegetable rinse-water was developed. The method is a modification of an existing Association of Official Analytical Chemist (AOAC)-approved protocol and is sensitive to detect contamination of Salmonella spp. at the predicted level of 1 -10 cells/ml in the rinse-water. The modified protocol, which includes a confirmatory melt-curve analysis of PCR product, requires eight to ten hours and is compatible for high throughput analysis. The method should help implementation of HACAP program for fresh produce.
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