August 31, 2010

US scientist develops faster testing kit for E. coli in beef

A Purdue University food scientist using infrared spectroscopy took only an hour to find harmful E. coli bacteria in ground beef, a discovery that could cut days off investigations of outbreaks, according to reports.

Current detection systems take about 48 hours to identify the bacteria.

The spectroscopy method can also differentiate the strains of E. coli 0157:H7, meaning outbreaks could be tracked more effectively and quickly. Current tests use multiple steps and take almost a week to get results.

The infrared spectroscopy equipment is "off-the-shelf and has been around for decades," according to the researchers.

Researchers also said the ground beef tests show promise for using the technology to find other pathogens in additional types of foods. Meanwhile, the spectroscopy can also detect melamine-which sickened about 300,000 infants in China and killed at least six in 2008-down to one part per million in powdered baby formula.