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A new biosensor that can quickly detect a deadly food pathogen will make ready-to-eat foods safer for consumers.
The sensor, developed by Purdue University food scientists, can identify Listeria monocytogenes at concentrations as low as 1,000 cells per milliliter of fluid—an amount about the size of a pencil eraser—in less than 24 hours.
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Arun Bhunia (right) observes as research associate Tao Geng uses a biosensor to test for the presence of a deadly foodborne bacteria. (Photo by Mike Kerper)
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“The selectivity, sensitivity and rapidity of this sensor represent a vast improvement over the types of test kits that are currently available commercially,” says Arun Bhunia, professor of food microbiology and one of the sensor's developers.
Listeriosis, the illness caused by consuming Listeria -contaminated food, leads to higher rates of hospitalization and mortality than any other food-borne illness, said Tao Geng, research associate in the Department of Food Science and another of the sensor's developers. “The mortality rate for people with listeriosis is very high, and, for this reason, the FDA has a zero-tolerance rule for Listeria.”
The bacteria classified as Listeria include six different species, but only monocytogenes can infect humans. This makes it especially important to develop highly selective sensors that can detect monocytogenes, Bhunia says. “The ability to distinguish this one species from all others makes this a very powerful sensor—no other sensor today can do that,” he says. The sensor also is selective enough to recognize cells of L. monocytogenes when other types of food-borne contaminants, such as Salmonella or E. coli, are present.
Bhunia expects the sensor to be ready for industry use in a year.
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