Newswise — WASHINGTON, June 25, 2024 – Every so often, a food product is recalled because of some sort of contamination. For consumers of such products, a recall can trigger doubt in the safety and reliability of what they eat and drink. In many cases, a recall will come too late to keep some people from getting ill.
In spite of the food industry’s efforts to fight pathogens, products are still contaminated and people still get sick. Much of the problem stems from the tools available to screen for harmful pathogens, which are often not effective enough at protecting the public. In AIP Advances, by AIP Publishing, researchers from Guangdong University of Technology and Pudong New District People’s Hospital developed a new method for detecting foodborne pathogens that is faster, cheaper, and more effective than existing methods.
The researchers hope their technique can improve screening processes and keep contaminated food out of the hands of consumers. Even with the best detection method, finding contaminating pathogens is not an easy task. “Detecting these pathogens is challenging, due to their diverse nature and the various environments in which they can thrive,” said author Silu Feng.
“Additionally, low concentrations of pathogens in large food samples, the presence of similar non-pathogenic organisms, and the complex nature of different food types make accurate and rapid detection difficult.” Existing detection methods do exist, such as cell culture and DNA.