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According to the EU legislation, ochratoxin A contamination is controlled in wines. Tokaj wine is a special type of sweet wine produced from botrytized grapes infected by &ldquo, noble rot&rdquo, Botrytis cinerea. Although a high contamination was reported in sweet wines and noble rot grapes could be susceptible to coinfection with other fungi, including ochratoxigenic species, no screening of Tokaj wines for mycotoxin contamination has been carried out so far. Therefore, we developed an analytical method for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) and ochratoxin B (OTB) involving online SPE coupled to HPLC-FD using column switching to achieve the fast and sensitive control of mycotoxin contamination. The method was validated with recoveries ranging from 91.6% to 99.1% with an RSD less than 2%. The limits of quantification were 0.1 and 0.2 &micro, g L&minus, 1 for OTA and OTB, respectively. The total analysis time of the online SPE-HPLC-FD method was a mere 6 min. This high throughput enables routine analysis. Finally, we carried out an extensive investigation of the ochratoxin contamination in 59 Slovak Tokaj wines of 1959&ndash, 2017 vintage. Only a few positives were detected. The OTA content in most of the checked wines did not exceed the EU maximum tolerable limit of 2 &micro, 1, indicating a good quality of winegrowing and storing.

Although rapid detection kits continue to be developed and used, the classical culture method is still accepted as a gold standard. Therefore accelerating the classical culture methods safely is important for the detection of Campylobacter. The aim of this study is to design and compare a novel developed medium with other confirmed media in naturally and experimentally contaminated food matrices. Besides classical culture methods, it is subjected to qPCR and FISH methods. In this study, Campylobacter counts are investigated in spiked milk, chicken breast meat, cumin, minced beef meat, celery and tomato puree. Also to evaluate the enrichment medium in naturally contaminated samples, Campylobacter detection is performed in 20 chicken neck skin samples obtained from different sales points. The study showed that the novel broth provides a faster detectable number of Campylobacter. It was found to provide detectable Campylobacter counts after eight hours of inoculation. The results have shown that there is a significant increase on Campylobacter count in the detection performed using the spiked foods. Furthermore, the entire natural contaminated chicken neck skin samples are found to be positive the same as the other mediums. As a result of the study, in the classic culture methods, designed enrichment medium is faster than the currently used enrichment mediums. It is an important point of view to develop fast and reliable diagnostic methods for assuring adequate public health. © 2019

Food contamination is a matter of serious concern, as the high concentration of chemicals present in the edibles poses serious health risks. Protecting the public from the degrees of the harmfulness of contaminated foods has become a daunting task. This article highlights the causes, types, and health implications of chemical contamination in food. The food contamination could be due to naturally occurring contaminants in the environment or artificially introduced by the human. The phases of food processing, packaging, transportation, and storage are also significant contributors to food contamination. The implications of these chemical contaminants on human health are grave, ranging from mild gastroenteritis to fatal cases of hepatic, renal, and neurological syndromes. Although, the government regulates such chemicals in the eatables by prescribing minimum limits that are safe for human consumption yet measures still need to be taken to curb food contamination entirely. Therefore, a variety of food needs to be inspected and measured for the presence of chemical contaminants. The preventative measures pertaining about the food contaminants problems are pointed out and discussed.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and molecular typing of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in food-producing animals and retail meat in Fargo, North Dakota. A two-step enrichment followed by culture methods were used to isolate S. aureus from 167 nasal swabs from animals, 145 samples of retail raw meat, and 46 samples of deli meat. Positive isolates were subjected to multiplex polymerase chain reaction in order to identify the genes 16S rRNA, mecA, and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing were used for molecular typing of S. aureus strains. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out using the broth microdilution method. The overall prevalence of S. aureus was 37.2% (n = 133), with 34.7% (n = 58) of the animals positive for the organism, and the highest prevalence observed in pigs (50.0%) and sheep (40.6%) (p < 0.05); 47.6% (n = 69) of raw meat samples were positive, with the highest prevalence in chicken (67.6%) and pork (49.3%) (p < 0.05); and 13.0% (n = 6) of deli meat was positive. Five pork samples (7.0%) were positive for MRSA, of which three were ST398 and two were ST5. All exhibited penicillin resistance and four were multidrug resistant (MDR). The Panton-Valentine Leukocidin gene was not detected in any sample by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The most common clones in sheep were ST398 and ST133, in pigs and pork both ST398 and ST9, and in chicken ST5. Most susceptible S. aureus strains were ST5 isolated from chicken. The MDR isolates were found in pigs, pork, and sheep. The presence of MRSA, MDR, and the subtype ST398 in the meat production chain and the genetic similarity between strains of porcine origin (meat and animals) suggest the possible contamination of meat during slaughtering and its potential transmission to humans. College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources College, North Dakota State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University

The aim of this study was to use molecular techniques to assess the microbiota of eight raw cow's milk samples at biotype and species level. Sixty-six isolates from raw milk samples were screened by Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) biotyping and representative strains of RAPD-PCR profiles were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Pseudomonas spp. were the most commonly occurring contaminants along with Enterobacteriaceae such as Hafnia alvei, Serratia marcescens and Citrobacter freundii. Moreover, Gram-positive isolates belonging to the genera Staphylococcus and Lactococcus were also found. Experiments of growth at different temperatures showed that more than 50% of the Gram-negative isolates could grow at chill temperatures and that 65% of the Pseudomonas spp. strains grew at 7 degrees C within 5 days. Only 13 Gram-negative isolates displayed proteolytic activity on milk agar, suggesting that not all the biotypes of milk contaminating species are able to perform this spoilage-associated activity. Among the Gram negative, the proteolytic strains were mainly Peudomonas spp. that displayed the activity at both 7 degrees C and 20 degrees C. A reliable molecular identification of raw milk microbiota is important for the study of the microbiological quality of raw milks and for the assessment of the ecology at species level in order to develop improved systems, preventing contamination and having the best conditions for the storage of milk.

International audience; Precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) was introduced by the food industry to help manage and communicate the possibility of reaction from the unintended presence of allergens in foods. However, in its current form, PAL is counterproductive for consumers with food allergies. This review aims to summarize the perspectives of all the key stakeholders (including clinicians, patients, food industry and regulators), with the aim of defining common health protection and risk minimization goals. The lack of agreed reference doses has resulted in inconsistent application of PAL by the food industry and in levels of contamination that prompt withdrawal action by enforcement officers. So there is a poor relationship between the presence or absence of PAL and actual reaction risk. This has led to a loss of trust in PAL, reducing the ability of consumers with food allergies to make informed choices. The result has been reduced avoidance, reduced quality of life and increased risk-taking by consumers who often ignore PAL. All contributing stakeholders agree that PAL must reflect actual risk. PAL should be transparent and consistent with rules underpinning decision-making process being communicated clearly to all stakeholders. The use of PAL should indicate the possible, unintended presence of an allergen in a consumed portion of a food product at or above any proposed action level. This will require combined work by all stakeholders to ensure everyone understands the approach and its limitations. Consumers with food allergy then need to be educated to undertake individualized risk assessments in relation to any PAL present.

Precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) was introduced by the food industry to help manage and communicate the possibility of reaction from the unintended presence of allergens in foods. However, in its current form, PAL is counter-productive for consumers with food allergies. This review aims to summarise the perspectives of all the key stakeholders (including clinicians, patients, food industry and regulators), with the aim of defining common health protection and risk minimisation goals. The lack of agreed reference doses, has resulted in inconsistent application of PAL by the food industry and in levels of contamination that prompt withdrawal action by enforcement officers. So there is a poor relationship between the presence or absence of PAL and actual reaction risk. This has led to a loss of trust in PAL, reducing the ability of consumers with food allergies to make informed choices. The result has been reduced avoidance, reduced quality of life and increased risk-taking by consumers who often ignore PAL. All contributing stakeholders agree that PAL must reflect actual risk. PAL should be transparent and consistent with rules underpinning decision-making process being communicated clearly to all stakeholders. The use of PAL should indicate the possible, unintended presence of an allergen in a consumed portion of a food product at or above any proposed action level. This will require combined work by all stakeholders to ensure everyone understands the approach, and its limitations. Consumers with food allergy then need to be educated to undertake individualised risk assessments in relation to any PAL present.

A reliable method for the determination of patulin in apple juice, apple puree and apples was developed using two clean-up steps and high performance liquid chromatography and diode array (HPLC-DAD) analysis. Baseline separation from hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) was obtained. The performance characteristics of the method were determined at four concentration levels in two matrices and fulfill the requirements of the European Commission (EC) for this type of samples. The level of quantification was set to 25 μg/l or 25 μg/kg, the RSD for repeatability at this level is 11% for apple juice and 17% for apples, the recovery is 87% for apple juice and 63% for apples. The reproducibility was determined in apples and is 11% (at a level of 200 μg/kg). The method was used for determination of patulin in 63 commercial apple products available on the Dutch market. With the exception of one sample, the level of patulin was lower than the detection limit in all the samples. No statistically significant difference was found between conventional and organic samples. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of residual levels of tetracyclines (TCs) in chicken meat was performed using a validated liquid chromatography coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technique. Overall, the recoveries for TCs ranged from 56.9% to 101.2%, with standard deviations of 4.5-13.2%. Detection limits ranged from 7.9 to 14.6 mu g kg(-1). In four of 60 samples, doxycycline (DXC) was determined in a range from 19.9 to 35.6 mu g kg(-1); and in one sample tetracycline was detected at 17.2 mu g kg(-1). Chlortetracycline (CTC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) were not detected in any of the tested samples. This study indicates that chicken meat sold in Bursa, Turkey, contained some residues of TCs. Therefore, stricter regulations for the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry and the monitoring of drug residues in chicken meat prior to marketing are needed. Finally, this method has been applied successfully for the confirmation of TCs in chicken meat.

Growing microorganisms on dry surfaces, which results in exposure to low water activity (aw), may change their normal morphology and physiological activity. In this study, the morphological changes and cell viability of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis challenged to low a w were analyzed. The results indicated that exposure to reduced aw induced filamentation of the cells. The amount of filamentous cells at aw 0.94 was up to 90% of the total number of cells. Surviving filamentous cells maintained their membrane integrity after exposure to low aw for 21 days. Furthermore, cells prechallenged to low a w, obtained with an ionic humectant, demonstrated higher resistance to sodium hypochlorite than control cells. These resistant cells are able to survive disinfection more efficiently and can therefore cause contamination of foods coming in contact with surfaces. This points to the need for increased attention to cleaning of surfaces in household environments and disinfection procedures in processing plants. Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection.

Materials and articles intended to come into contact with food must be shown to be safe because they might interact with food during processing, storage and the transportation of foodstuffs. Framework Directive 89/109/EEC and its related specific Directives provide this safety basis for the protection of the consumer against inadmissible chemical contamination from food-contact materials. Recently, the European Commission charged an international group of experts to demonstrate that migration modelling can be regarded as a valid and reliable tool to calculate 'reasonable worst-case' migration rates from the most important food-contact plastics into the European Union official food simulants. The paper summarizes the main steps followed to build up and validate a migration estimation model that can be used, for a series of plastic food-contact materials and migrants, for regulatory purposes. Analytical solutions of the diffusion equation in conjunction with an 'upper limit' equation for the migrant diffusion coefficient, DP, and the use of 'worst case' partitioning coefficients KP,F were used in the migration model. The results obtained were then validated, at a confidence level of 95%, by comparison with the available experimental evidence. The successful accomplishment of the goals of this project is reflected by the fact that in Directive 2002/72/EC, the European Commission included the mathematical modelling as an alternative tool to determine migration rates for compliance purposes. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd.

This paper gives an overview of the legal consequences of a new EU framework regulation on food contact materials which includes controls on active and intelligent packaging. Recent developments in active and intelligent packaging systems are described, two examples of which aim at achieving improvements in quality and safety of food products. The first one is an on-command preservative-releasing packaging system. The second system is an intelligent concept, based on the development of a non-invasive microbial growth sensor to monitor the sterility of food products. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.

This paper gives an overview of the legal consequences of a new EU framework regulation on food contact materials which includes controls on active and intelligent packaging. Recent developments in active and intelligent packaging systems are described, two examples of which aim at achieving improvements in quality and safety of food products. The first one is an on-command preservative-releasing packaging system. The second system is an intelligent concept, based on the development of a non-invasive microbial growth sensor to monitor the sterility of food products. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.

Materials and articles intended to come into contact with food must be shown to be safe because they might interact with food during processing, storage and the transportation of foodstuffs. Framework Directive 89/109/EEC and its related specific Directives provide this safety basis for the protection of the consumer against inadmissible chemical contamination from food-contact materials. Recently, the European Commission charged an international group of experts to demonstrate that migration modelling can be regarded as a valid and reliable tool to calculate 'reasonable worst-case' migration rates from the most important food-contact plastics into the European Union official food simulants. The paper summarizes the main steps followed to build up and validate a migration estimation model that can be used, for a series of plastic food-contact materials and migrants, for regulatory purposes. Analytical solutions of the diffusion equation in conjunction with an 'upper limit' equation for the migrant diffusion coefficient, DP, and the use of 'worst case' partitioning coefficients KP,F were used in the migration model. The results obtained were then validated, at a confidence level of 95%, by comparison with the available experimental evidence. The successful accomplishment of the goals of this project is reflected by the fact that in Directive 2002/72/EC, the European Commission included the mathematical modelling as an alternative tool to determine migration rates for compliance purposes. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd.

Spinal cord and brain tissues have the highest importance to transfer bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to human. European Union issued complete removal of spinal cord and brain tissues from meat products (Commission Decision 2000/418/EC). In Turkey, regulation on meat products [Turkish Food Code, Regulation on Meat Products. Official Journal No: 23960, 10 Feb, 2000] is applied by their government veterinarians. But there are some questions on the effective application of the regulation especially in some private slaughterhouses. This study was designed to represent the mixing of these tissues to meat products which sold in Marmara region of Turkey. For this purpose, a total of 179 meat product samples belonged to 17 different trademarks were tested. A semi-quantitative ELISA kit, which detects glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as marker, was used. In the test, standard controls 0, 0.2%, 1%, and 2% were practiced. Of the 179 sampled, 18 samples (10.05%) gave an optical density over than standard 0.2%. Optical density of three samples was near to standard 1%. It is concluded that central nervous system tissue mixing to the meat products still happen and more effective control measurements needs to be developed and applied in Turkey. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A reliable method for the determination of patulin in apple juice, apple puree and apples was developed using two clean-up steps and high performance liquid chromatography and diode array (HPLC-DAD) analysis. Baseline separation from hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) was obtained. The performance characteristics of the method were determined at four concentration levels in two matrices and fulfill the requirements of the European Commission (EC) for this type of samples. The level of quantification was set to 25 μg/l or 25 μg/kg, the RSD for repeatability at this level is 11% for apple juice and 17% for apples, the recovery is 87% for apple juice and 63% for apples. The reproducibility was determined in apples and is 11% (at a level of 200 μg/kg). The method was used for determination of patulin in 63 commercial apple products available on the Dutch market. With the exception of one sample, the level of patulin was lower than the detection limit in all the samples. No statistically significant difference was found between conventional and organic samples. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In this study, which was conducted to detect the critical control points and to investigate the direct and cross-contamination sources in white pickled cheese production, 21 control points were examined for aerobe mesophilic counts, staphylococcus-micrococcus, coagulase-positive staphylococcus, enterobacteriaceae, coliform bacteria, E. coli, enterococcus, yeast and mould counts. It was determined that the high microbiological load of raw milk affected the microbiological quality of pasteurized milk negatively, and that the production pipe-line after pasteurization, and equipment such as vats, plastic wraps, pressing cloths. starter culture and the hands of the workers, were direct contamination sources. In addition, the hands of workers and the water used in the facility played a role in direct and cross contamination, and the air in the facility was a critical control point for yeast and mould contamination.

The rapid identification of spoilage microorganisms is of eminent importance to the food industry. It provides the food industry with the opportunity to reduce economical losses by designing adequate intervention measures. The use of identification systems based on biochemical and physiological characteristics resulted often in disappointing identification results and misidentifications. This will inevitably lead to inappropriate strategies to prevent spoilage. This review discusses the potential of the DNA based identification technology including the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the identification and specific detection of microorganisms. Fingerprinting methods based on the DNA-probe technology enable a clear insight in the identity of microorganisms on different levels, varying from genus to strain level depending on the systems used. Discrimination between subspecies and strain level is shown to be helpful for investigating routes and sources of contamination. Differentiation at the species level is demonstrated to be essential in order to design a highly specific detection system enabling to signalize a microorganism that belongs to a particular species. Also indicated in this review is the necessity and the technical approach to detect microorganisms that display a particular undesirable trait.

The rapid identification of spoilage microorganisms is of eminent importance to the food industry. It provides the food industry with the opportunity to reduce economical losses by designing adequate intervention measures. The use of identification systems based on biochemical and physiological characteristics resulted often in disappointing identification results and misidentifications. This will inevitably lead to inappropriate strategies to prevent spoilage. This review discusses the potential of the DNA based identification technology including the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the identification and specific detection of microorganisms. Fingerprinting methods based on the DNA-probe technology enable a clear insight in the identity of microorganisms on different levels, varying from genus to strain level depending on the systems used. Discrimination between subspecies and strain level is shown to be helpful for investigating routes and sources of contamination. Differentiation at the species level is demonstrated to be essential in order to design a highly specific detection system enabling to signalize a microorganism that belongs to a particular species. Also indicated in this review is the necessity and the technical approach to detect microorganisms that display a particular undesirable trait.

The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay and the restriction enzyme analysis of PCR amplified rDNA are compared for the identification of the common spoilage yeasts Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Z. rouxii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida valida and C. lipolytica. Both techniques proved to be adequate tools for yeast identification. Since the RAPD does provide less stable patterns than restriction enzyme analysis of PCR amplified rDNA, and a large amount of data had to be compared without data reduction, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied successfully for clustering the RAPD patterns. The success of PCA is highly influenced by the primer used in RAPD and the amount of reference samples. A large amount of reference samples improves the performance of clustering in PCA. The primer of choice was shown to be important with respect to the discriminatory power of the RAPD method. Some primers used enabled discrimination on the subspecies level. The results collected with both typing methods justify the conclusion that the present typing system can be applied for taxonomical purposes.

The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay and the restriction enzyme analysis of PCR amplified rDNA are compared for the identification of the common spoilage yeasts Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Z. rouxii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida valida and C. lipolytica. Both techniques proved to be adequate tools for yeast identification. Since the RAPD does provide less stable patterns than restriction enzyme analysis of PCR amplified rDNA, and a large amount of data had to be compared without data reduction, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied successfully for clustering the RAPD patterns. The success of PCA is highly influenced by the primer used in RAPD and the amount of reference samples. A large amount of reference samples improves the performance of clustering in PCA. The primer of choice was shown to be important with respect to the discriminatory power of the RAPD method. Some primers used enabled discrimination on the subspecies level. The results collected with both typing methods justify the conclusion that the present typing system can be applied for taxonomical purposes.

An experimental study was carried out to establish whether the draft EEC method for the determination of the global migration of constituents from plastics packaging materials into fatty food stimulants could be applied to all plastics, including lacquers and laminates. Some difficulties were encountered in the use of the EEC method for melamine, for hotmelt-coated packaging materials and for laminates containing one or more layers of materials sensitive to moisture, such as paper, cardboard or regenerated cellulose film. Chemicals/CAS: cellulose, 61991-22-8, 68073-05-2, 9004-34-6; melamine, 108-78-1, 25778-04-5; Dietary Fats; Plastics

An experimental study was carried out to establish whether the draft EEC method for the determination of the global migration of constituents from plastics packaging materials into fatty food stimulants could be applied to all plastics, including lacquers and laminates. Some difficulties were encountered in the use of the EEC method for melamine, for hotmelt-coated packaging materials and for laminates containing one or more layers of materials sensitive to moisture, such as paper, cardboard or regenerated cellulose film. Chemicals/CAS: cellulose, 61991-22-8, 68073-05-2, 9004-34-6; melamine, 108-78-1, 25778-04-5; Dietary Fats; Plastics

Samples of barley, wheat and maize were analysed for deoxynivalenol (DON). Samples were extracted with aqueous chloroform-ethanol. The extract was purified by column chromatography on silica gel. DON was derivatised with heptafluorobutyric (HFB) acid anhydride. The glassware was silylated to prevent deterioration of the HFB derivative, which stabilised the samples for at least 11 weeks. Quantitation was done by capillary gas chromatography using electron-capture detection. Confirmation was obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The limit of determination was 0.02 mg/kg. Recoveries of DON averaged 99% with a coefficient of variation of 10.8%. ?? 1986 Springer-Verlag. Chemicals/CAS: vomitoxin, 51481-10-8; deoxynivalenol, 51481-10-8; Sesquiterpenes; Trichothecenes

Samples of barley, wheat and maize were analysed for deoxynivalenol (DON). Samples were extracted with aqueous chloroform-ethanol. The extract was purified by column chromatography on silica gel. DON was derivatised with heptafluorobutyric (HFB) acid anhydride. The glassware was silylated to prevent deterioration of the HFB derivative, which stabilised the samples for at least 11 weeks. Quantitation was done by capillary gas chromatography using electron-capture detection. Confirmation was obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The limit of determination was 0.02 mg/kg. Recoveries of DON averaged 99% with a coefficient of variation of 10.8%. ?? 1986 Springer-Verlag. Chemicals/CAS: vomitoxin, 51481-10-8; deoxynivalenol, 51481-10-8; Sesquiterpenes; Trichothecenes

Growing microorganisms on dry surfaces, which results in exposure to low water activity (aw), may change their normal morphology and physiological activity. In this study, the morphological changes and cell viability of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis challenged to low a w were analyzed. The results indicated that exposure to reduced aw induced filamentation of the cells. The amount of filamentous cells at aw 0.94 was up to 90% of the total number of cells. Surviving filamentous cells maintained their membrane integrity after exposure to low aw for 21 days. Furthermore, cells prechallenged to low a w, obtained with an ionic humectant, demonstrated higher resistance to sodium hypochlorite than control cells. These resistant cells are able to survive disinfection more efficiently and can therefore cause contamination of foods coming in contact with surfaces. This points to the need for increased attention to cleaning of surfaces in household environments and disinfection procedures in processing plants. Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection.

Background A fast and simple two-step multiplex real-time PCR assay has been developed to replace the traditional, laborious Salmonella serotyping procedure. Molecular beacons were incorporated into the assay as probes for target DNA. Target sequences were regions of the invA, prot6E and fliC genes specific for Salmonella spp. Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium, respectively, the two most clinically relevant serotypes. An internal amplification positive control was included in the experiment to ensure the optimal functioning of the PCR and detect possible PCR inhibition. Three sets of primers were used for the amplification of the target sequences. The results were compared to those of the Kauffmann-White antigenic classification scheme. Results The assay was 100% sensitive and specific, correctly identifying all 44 Salmonella strains, all 21 samples of S. Enteritidis and all 17 samples of S. Typhimurium tested in this work. Therefore, the entire experiment had specificity and sensitivity of 100%. The detection limit was down to 10 copies of DNA target per 25 μl reaction. Conclusion The assay can amplify and analyse a large number of samples in approximately 8 hours, compared to the 4 to 5 days conventional identification takes, and is thus considered a very promising method for detecting the two major serotypes of Salmonella quickly and accurately from clinical and environmental samples.