3M Food Safety Unveils Molecular Detection System for Foodborne Pathogens

3M Food Safety has introduced the 3M Molecular Detection System, which the company describes as a fast, accurate and easy-to-use method of detecting dangerous pathogens, such as Salmonella, E. coli O157and Listeria.

 

Available worldwide, the system is based on an combination of technologies involving isothermal DNA amplification and bioluminescence detection in a compact, simple, robust system that offers easy implementation and low maintenance without compromising accuracy and reliability, the company said.

 

The 3M Molecular Detection System targets and amplifies nucleic acid in enriched samples.  The automated technology has been evaluated with a variety of food types, including produce, meats, processed foods, pet food, and food processing-related environmental samples, and numerous organisms can be tested in a single run. The instrument is compact – taking up less counter space than a laptop computer, making it portable and adaptable to various lab environments. 

 

As part of the system's platform, individual, pathogen-specific assays, or procedural tests, will be sold as a test kits. Each assay test kit uses the same software interface and same DNA extraction protocol for testing between one and 96 samples per run. Assays for Salmonella, E. coli O157 (including H7) and Listeria are available now, and a test for Listeria monocytogenes is expected in early 2012. Independent laboratory studies with the 3M Molecular Detection System are currently underway to pursue global method recognitions.

 

“In our evaluation of the Listeria species assay, we liked the small footprint of the system as well as the quick delivery of results after sample enrichment,” said Dr. Martin Wiedmann, a professor in Cornell University’s Department of Food Science who studied the system’s analyses of samples taken from meat-packing, seafood processing and retail locations. “This system definitely illustrates the potential of isothermal methods for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens.”

 

For more information, visit 3M.