New rapid E. coli detection in meat

BioMérieux, a supplier of diagnostic systems, said that its new Vidas UP phage recombinant protein is developed by German group Profos AG to be highly sensitive towards Escherichia coli (E. coli).

Bacteriophages are viruses that target bacteria, rather than human, plant or animal cells. They use adhesion structures to bind to their bacterial hosts. 0157: H7.

Suitable for testing
Reports state that the bacteriophage is suitable for testing meat samples and is the latest addition to the Vidas line.

Due to the increasing regulatory highlights placed on food safety in plants and because of the cost of recalls, this has urged food companies to seek faster ways of detecting pathogens.

"Vidas UP offers faster and more precise detection of E. coli 0157: H7 than molecular methods, delivering test results within seven hours, and is capable of analysing sample sizes up to 375 grams," said a company spokesperson.

Meat recalls
Reports say that ground beef is one of the main sources of E. coli contamination in the USA, despite the number of cases being reduced as a result of better food safety practices in the meat sector.