PCR for Food Industry – In microbiological laboratory testing, a faster testing method is needed to detect pathogenic microbes in food products. Food safety analysis is very important to ensure the quality of food products before distributed to the market. Therefore, testing for microbiological contamination of food products is very important and must be a fast and efficient method. The food producers must pay attention to the quality of the products they produce and must not forget to improve its product quality. Ensuring products are free from microbiological contamination is also an effort to improve quality. There are several testing methods commonly used to test microbes in food. One of them is the PCRÂ method. Can PCR test also be used in the food industry?
PCR for Food Industry
Could the food industry also use the PCR method? Of course! The PCR method is not only for detecting viruses, it can also detect pathogens. In the food industry, testing for microbiological contamination is necessary. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a molecular method that is sensitive enough to detect infectious diseases, one of them is foodborne diseases. However, this method is rarely used in the food industry. PCR-based tests have grown popular lately. It is frequently applied in clinical and environmental samples. But it could also be used for the food industry. The main advantage of PCR testing is that it could provide fast & accurate result. Decision makers could take better decisions with the fast testing result. One of them is that whether the food products are safe to be distributed to the market or not, or whether the shipment container could be safely dispatched or not. Certainly these 2 decisions could simply save you from unwanted product recall or rejection costs. You can read more about the PCR testing method in the previous article.
Aplication of the PCR in food anaysis
The application of the PCR in food analysis is to detect pathogenic microorganisms, to identify allergens and to detect genetically modified organisms (GMOs). According to Dyah Ayu, the large number of pathogenic microorganisms and the small number of cells that contaminate food ingredients make the PCR method suitable for detecting microbiology in food industry. The PCR test offers many advantages: it is very specific, sensitive, robust, fast, reliable, and what’s more, it can be automated. Detection by RT-PCR provides more specific and sensitive results to prevent the spread of disease caused by food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, PCR testing method could be used in testing food contamination & could provide result in a shorter time. As described above, faster & accurate result means better decision making in dispatching products.
RT-PCR for detection molecular of pathogenic in foodstuffs
PCR-based testing methods can detect pathogenic microorganisms through identification of target DNA sequences. The PCR method can be used for molecular pathogen detection by comparing the size of the target DNA with markers or comparing the target DNA sequence with the sequences contained in the gene bank. Real-Time PCR allows each DNA amplification cycle to be observed with a computer system to see the sequence of the PCR product. RT-PCR sensitivity was obtained using markers.
In conclusion, contamination of pathogenic microorganisms in food requires proper handling. Detection that is specific, sensitive & fast can reduce the risk of disease transmission due to foodborne contamination. For the food manufacturers that requires microbiological testing with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method, you can choose an accredited laboratory to get a Certificate of Analysis (testing report). PT Seafood Inspection Laboratory provides PCR tests for Salmonella spp, Listeria monocytogenes & Hep A on food or environment samples. Those testing parameters are required in the export requirement for food products.
