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The Future Of Foodborne Pathogen Testing Is Now

By Marler Clark

pI have seen the future of foodborne pathogen monitoring technology!nbsp; According to a a href="http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=66-12-05-03"new article /apublished by the US Department of Agriculture's Qualitynbsp;and Safetynbsp;Assessment Research Unit, ema href="http://www.about-salmonella.com/"Salmonella/a/em detection (with other possible pathogens to follow) may be possible at a level not previously seen in food pathogen testing systems./p pimg height="200" alt="" hspace="5" width="200" align="left" vspace="5" src="http://www.foodpoisonblog.com/uploads/image/Salmonella.jpg" /By using nanotechnology,nbsp; microscopic biological sensors cannbsp;detect ia href="http://www.about-salmonella.com/"Salmonella/a/i bacteria in laboratory testing.nbsp;nbsp;The sensors could be adapted to detect other foodborne pathogens as well./p pThe sensor is part of an evolving science known as nanotechnologymdash;the study and manipulation of materials on a molecular or even atomic level, measured in billionths of a meter, which is about 10 to100 times thinner than a human hair./p pThere are examples of biosensors in nature. Insects detect tiny amounts of sex pheromones in the environment and use them as a beacon to find mates. And fish use natural biosensors to detect barely perceptible vibrations in the surrounding water./p pARS engineer Bosoon Park at the Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit in Athens, Ga., and cooperators at the University of Georgia used nanotechnology to develop the biosensor. The detection method may have great potential for food safety and security, according to Park./p pThe biosensors that Park and his university colleagues developed include fluorescent organic dye particles attached to Salmonella antibodies. The antibodies hook onto Salmonella bacteria and the dye lights up like a beacon, making the bacteria easier to see./p pPeople who eat Salmonella-infected food products can get salmonellosis, a disease characterized by nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhea, and sometimes death./p pFor his research, Park recently received the prestigious first place Innovation Nano Research Award at the Sixth International Nanotech Symposium and Exhibition, in Ilsan, Korea./p pPerhaps this technology can help reduce the alarming number of people who fall illnbsp;from a href="http://www.about-salmonella.com/salmonella_outbreaks"emSalmonella/em outbreaks/a each year ./pimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FoodPoisonBlog/~4/486783376" height="1" width="1"/

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on December 16, 2008 (boomark / email).