A system that concentrates foodborne salmonella and
other pathogens faster than conventional methods has been developed. The
device uses hollow thread-like fibers that filter out the cells,
leading to faster detection.
The device is called a continuous cell
concentration device. The device, if modeled commercially, will allow
food or water samples to be analyzed in order to screen for pathogens. Foodborne pathogens
can seriously affect anyone, but for pregnant women and their babies,
certain pathogens can be particularly harmful, even fatal. An example
are the bacteria Salmonella.
The device is said to be fast enough to produce a result within a single
work shift at food processing plants. At present, many samples do not
produce results for several days, meaning that many food processes
continue ‘at risk’.
The first step in detecting foodborne pathogens is concentrating the
number of cells in test samples. The new system enables researchers to
carry out the concentration step within one hour.
In test runs,
the machine was used to concentrate cells in a sample of chicken meat.
The sample is first broken down into the consistency of a milkshake and
chemically pre-treated to prevent the filtering membranes from clogging.
The fluid is then passed through 12 hollow-fiber filters about 300
microns in diameter that are contained in a tube about the size of a
cocktail straw. The filtering process continues until pathogens if
present are concentrated enough to be detected.
The device was invented by scientists at Purdue University, led by Professor Michael Ladisch. The findings have been published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The paper it titled “Rapid Sample Processing for Foodborne Pathogen Detection via Crossflow Microfiltration.”
Posted by Tim Sandle
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