September 3, 2008
NEW YORK – Pall said today that it has acquired French molecular diagnostics firm GeneSystems for an undisclosed sum.
Bruz, France-based GeneSystems has developed a real-time PCR-based molecular diagnostics platform for rapid microbial detection. The firm offers tests for a range of pathogens including Legionella and E. coli.
Pall said the acquisition will expand its Total Fluid Management capabilities in the biopharmaceutical process monitoring market, which it estimated to be worth $1 billion. The East Hills, NY-based firm said that it also would provide it with new opportunities in the environmental, food and beverage, and water markets.
Source: Genome Web News
Showing posts with label food protection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food protection. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Food scientists confirm commercial product effectively kills bacteria in vegetable washwater
Research conducted by food science faculty at the University of Idaho and Washington State University indicate that a commercially available fruit and vegetable wash, when used in a food-manufacturing setting, can dramatically decrease the number of disease-causing organisms in produce-processing washwater. That could reduce by manyfold the potential for cross-contamination within the water by such "gram-negative" bacteria as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.
The product, sold commercially as FIT Fruit and Vegetable Wash, not only proved much more effective than the commonly used chlorine dioxide but is made from ingredients like citric acid and distilled grapefruit oil that are generally regarded as safe. Chlorine dioxide, whose use in food plants can put workers at risk, was compromised by soils and plant debris in the washwater and killed only 90 percent of the target organisms in the food plant and followup laboratory studies. By contrast, FIT killed 99.9999 percent, according to associate professor of food science Dong-Hyun Kang of Washington State University. "If you had a million bacteria, you would have one left."
The research—unusual because part of it was conducted under real-world conditions in an Idaho freshpack potato operation—will be published by the Journal of Food Science in August and is currently available at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/jfds/0/0. University of Idaho Extension food scientist Jeff Kronenberg said the researchers chose potatoes for their study because their dirt-laden washwater poses the greatest challenge to products designed to control microbial contamination—not because of any food-safety threat potatoes pose. Indeed, Kronenberg said, "We have historically had zero problems with food-borne diseases in potatoes that are sold in grocery stores and restaurants because they're cooked."
Kronenberg believes FIT should be further investigated for fresh produce that has been associated with food-borne illness—including lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cilantro, parsley and other leafy vegetables—where it is has the potential to save lives.
According to Kang, most food-processing firms cleanse their produce in flumes that operate as aquatic conveyor belts. "If a pathogen is introduced in the washwater, it will grow and continuously contaminate the new produce," he said. With 15 years of experience, Kang has found it "very, very difficult" to control disease-causing organisms in flume water and said he "didn't expect this kind of reduction. I'm really happy to see it."
WSU research technologist Peter Gray agreed, noting that the bacteria were "knocked down below the detection limit almost instantaneously" in the FIT treatments.
Source : University of Idaho
The product, sold commercially as FIT Fruit and Vegetable Wash, not only proved much more effective than the commonly used chlorine dioxide but is made from ingredients like citric acid and distilled grapefruit oil that are generally regarded as safe. Chlorine dioxide, whose use in food plants can put workers at risk, was compromised by soils and plant debris in the washwater and killed only 90 percent of the target organisms in the food plant and followup laboratory studies. By contrast, FIT killed 99.9999 percent, according to associate professor of food science Dong-Hyun Kang of Washington State University. "If you had a million bacteria, you would have one left."
The research—unusual because part of it was conducted under real-world conditions in an Idaho freshpack potato operation—will be published by the Journal of Food Science in August and is currently available at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/jfds/0/0. University of Idaho Extension food scientist Jeff Kronenberg said the researchers chose potatoes for their study because their dirt-laden washwater poses the greatest challenge to products designed to control microbial contamination—not because of any food-safety threat potatoes pose. Indeed, Kronenberg said, "We have historically had zero problems with food-borne diseases in potatoes that are sold in grocery stores and restaurants because they're cooked."
Kronenberg believes FIT should be further investigated for fresh produce that has been associated with food-borne illness—including lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cilantro, parsley and other leafy vegetables—where it is has the potential to save lives.
According to Kang, most food-processing firms cleanse their produce in flumes that operate as aquatic conveyor belts. "If a pathogen is introduced in the washwater, it will grow and continuously contaminate the new produce," he said. With 15 years of experience, Kang has found it "very, very difficult" to control disease-causing organisms in flume water and said he "didn't expect this kind of reduction. I'm really happy to see it."
WSU research technologist Peter Gray agreed, noting that the bacteria were "knocked down below the detection limit almost instantaneously" in the FIT treatments.
Source : University of Idaho
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Heating bloc reduces testing costs claims manufacturer
A special heating bloc can reduce the handling time and costs of testing foods for pathogens, claims its France-based manufacturer.
BioMérieux claims its Vidas Heat and Go "significantly reduces technician handling time as well as material cost, while standardising a previously cumbersome step in pathogen detection".
The block is used on samples undergoing pathogen testing in bioMérieux's automated Vidas and mini Vidas systems.
"There is a clear need for improved productivity and traceability for microbiological control testing in the food industry and developing innovative solutions to address these needs is at the core of our strategy," stated Alexandre Mérieux, the company's corporate vice president for industrial microbiology.
Previously technicians used a boiling water bath asa typical protocol for heating food samples. Lab workers would manually label tubes and transfer samples in and out of the tubes and in and out of the boiling water bath.
"The Vidas Heat and Go dry heating block streamlines this process by eliminating the manual steps of labeling and transferring the sample tubes," the company claimed. "The use of a dry heating block offers food laboratories increased safety in pathogen detection."
The system also increases the traceability of sample results, eliminating the risk of mislabeling sample tubes. Additionally, the dry heating block ensures the appropriate temperature is maintained throughout the heating process, the company stated.
BioMérieux claims its Vidas Heat and Go "significantly reduces technician handling time as well as material cost, while standardising a previously cumbersome step in pathogen detection".
The block is used on samples undergoing pathogen testing in bioMérieux's automated Vidas and mini Vidas systems.
"There is a clear need for improved productivity and traceability for microbiological control testing in the food industry and developing innovative solutions to address these needs is at the core of our strategy," stated Alexandre Mérieux, the company's corporate vice president for industrial microbiology.
Previously technicians used a boiling water bath asa typical protocol for heating food samples. Lab workers would manually label tubes and transfer samples in and out of the tubes and in and out of the boiling water bath.
"The Vidas Heat and Go dry heating block streamlines this process by eliminating the manual steps of labeling and transferring the sample tubes," the company claimed. "The use of a dry heating block offers food laboratories increased safety in pathogen detection."
The system also increases the traceability of sample results, eliminating the risk of mislabeling sample tubes. Additionally, the dry heating block ensures the appropriate temperature is maintained throughout the heating process, the company stated.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Nanotechnology candy to thwart bioterrorism and food contamination
(Nanowerk Spotlight) Talking about the threat of terrorists using bioweapons is a great tool for scaring people. Using any kind of pathogen (bacterium, virus or other disease-causing organism) as a weapon certainly is a terrifying scenario; think about the near-panic the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States caused.
Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. Senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others. Can you image what panic would result from an attack that kills 5,000 people and causes 76 million illnesses?
Well, as a matter of fact, foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths (CDC data).
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 2005 Food Code states that the estimated cost of foodborne illness is $10–$83 billion annually (source). So while the U.S. spends billions of dollars securing its borders, it loses many more billions, not to mention thousands of lives, every year by not being able to keep its spinach and hamburgers safe.
Apparently, talking about terrorism is much better political theater (and makes for catchier Nanowerk Spotlight titles) than discussing E. coli outbreaks. However, be it because of potential terrorists or actual contaminated food, research in microbial detection and decontamination processes increased significantly over the past years. Traditional methods of identifying and subsequently removing a pathogen are slow and cumbersome. Now, using nanotechnology, researchers have designed a novel biosensing system that can identify E. coli in just five minutes and remove up to 88% of the target bacteria.
Traditionally, identifying a pathogen such as E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria requires cell culturing, which takes time – time that often means more contamination and illnesses or even deaths.
Here is an example from the FDA's recommended method for determining E. coli:
Weigh 50 g food into sterile high-speed blender jar. Add 450 mL of Butterfield's phosphate-buffered water and blend for 2 min. Prepare decimal dilutions with sterile Butterfield's phosphate diluent. Number of dilutions to be prepared depends on anticipated coliform density. Shake all suspensions 25 times in 30 cm arc or vortex mix for 7 s. Do not use pipets to deliver <10% of their total volume. Transfer 1 mL portions to 3 LST tubes for each dilution for at least 3 consecutive dilutions. Hold pipet at angle so that its lower edge rests against the tube. Let pipet drain 2-3 s. Not more than 15 min should elapse from time the sample is blended until all dilutions are inoculated in appropriate media. Incubate LST tubes at 35°C. Examine tubes and record reactions at 24 ± 2 h for gas, i.e., displacement of medium in fermentation vial or effervescence when tubes are gently agitated. Re-incubate gas-negative tubes for an additional 24 h and examine and record reactions again at 48 ± 2 h. Perform confirmed test on all presumptive positive tubes (which takes another 2 days).
It is a nobrainer that a detection system that takes days to positively identify a potentially deadly pathogen contamination is not good enough. What is urgently needed is a rapid way to detect the presence of a pathogen as well as the strain identity. That's were nanotechnology techniques could come to the rescue.
"We demonstrate the potential of sugar-coated magnetic nanoparticles for fast bacterial detection and removal, which provides an attractive avenue for pathogen decontamination and diagnostic applications" Dr. Xuefei Huang tells Nanowerk.
Huang, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toledo, together with his collaborators from the university, developed a magnetic glyco-nanoparticle (MGNP)-based system to not only detect E. coli within 5 minutes, but also to remove up to 88% of the target bacteria from the medium. This system also allows easy determination of the identities of three different E. coli strains on the basis of the response patterns to two MGNPs highlighting their potential in biosensing.
The findings have been reported in a recent article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society ("Magnetic Glyco-nanoparticles: A Unique Tool for Rapid Pathogen Detection, Decontamination, and Strain Differentiation").
Huang and his team decided to use magnetic nanoparticles since their high surface/volume ratio offers more contact surface area for attaching carbohydrates and for capturing pathogens. Nanoparticles typically are about two orders of magnitude smaller than a bacterium, allowing many nanoparticles to attach to a bacterial cell, which aids in removing the bacteria.
"Pathogens such as bacteria and viruses often have a 'sweet tooth' which allows them to bind with mammalian cell surface carbohydrates to initiate infection" Huang explains. "To mimic this effect, we decorated the surface of MGNPs with carbohydrate moieties capable of binding surface recognition elements. This leads to particles with robust recognition capabilities and with the advantage of being magnetic."
Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. Senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others. Can you image what panic would result from an attack that kills 5,000 people and causes 76 million illnesses?
Well, as a matter of fact, foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths (CDC data).
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 2005 Food Code states that the estimated cost of foodborne illness is $10–$83 billion annually (source). So while the U.S. spends billions of dollars securing its borders, it loses many more billions, not to mention thousands of lives, every year by not being able to keep its spinach and hamburgers safe.
Apparently, talking about terrorism is much better political theater (and makes for catchier Nanowerk Spotlight titles) than discussing E. coli outbreaks. However, be it because of potential terrorists or actual contaminated food, research in microbial detection and decontamination processes increased significantly over the past years. Traditional methods of identifying and subsequently removing a pathogen are slow and cumbersome. Now, using nanotechnology, researchers have designed a novel biosensing system that can identify E. coli in just five minutes and remove up to 88% of the target bacteria.
Traditionally, identifying a pathogen such as E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria requires cell culturing, which takes time – time that often means more contamination and illnesses or even deaths.
Here is an example from the FDA's recommended method for determining E. coli:
Weigh 50 g food into sterile high-speed blender jar. Add 450 mL of Butterfield's phosphate-buffered water and blend for 2 min. Prepare decimal dilutions with sterile Butterfield's phosphate diluent. Number of dilutions to be prepared depends on anticipated coliform density. Shake all suspensions 25 times in 30 cm arc or vortex mix for 7 s. Do not use pipets to deliver <10% of their total volume. Transfer 1 mL portions to 3 LST tubes for each dilution for at least 3 consecutive dilutions. Hold pipet at angle so that its lower edge rests against the tube. Let pipet drain 2-3 s. Not more than 15 min should elapse from time the sample is blended until all dilutions are inoculated in appropriate media. Incubate LST tubes at 35°C. Examine tubes and record reactions at 24 ± 2 h for gas, i.e., displacement of medium in fermentation vial or effervescence when tubes are gently agitated. Re-incubate gas-negative tubes for an additional 24 h and examine and record reactions again at 48 ± 2 h. Perform confirmed test on all presumptive positive tubes (which takes another 2 days).
It is a nobrainer that a detection system that takes days to positively identify a potentially deadly pathogen contamination is not good enough. What is urgently needed is a rapid way to detect the presence of a pathogen as well as the strain identity. That's were nanotechnology techniques could come to the rescue.
"We demonstrate the potential of sugar-coated magnetic nanoparticles for fast bacterial detection and removal, which provides an attractive avenue for pathogen decontamination and diagnostic applications" Dr. Xuefei Huang tells Nanowerk.
Huang, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toledo, together with his collaborators from the university, developed a magnetic glyco-nanoparticle (MGNP)-based system to not only detect E. coli within 5 minutes, but also to remove up to 88% of the target bacteria from the medium. This system also allows easy determination of the identities of three different E. coli strains on the basis of the response patterns to two MGNPs highlighting their potential in biosensing.
The findings have been reported in a recent article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society ("Magnetic Glyco-nanoparticles: A Unique Tool for Rapid Pathogen Detection, Decontamination, and Strain Differentiation").
Huang and his team decided to use magnetic nanoparticles since their high surface/volume ratio offers more contact surface area for attaching carbohydrates and for capturing pathogens. Nanoparticles typically are about two orders of magnitude smaller than a bacterium, allowing many nanoparticles to attach to a bacterial cell, which aids in removing the bacteria.
"Pathogens such as bacteria and viruses often have a 'sweet tooth' which allows them to bind with mammalian cell surface carbohydrates to initiate infection" Huang explains. "To mimic this effect, we decorated the surface of MGNPs with carbohydrate moieties capable of binding surface recognition elements. This leads to particles with robust recognition capabilities and with the advantage of being magnetic."
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