Source:  Dani Friedland, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 11/23/10

Researchers at the University of Missouri have come up with a faster, more accurate test for salmonella in poultry and eggs.

The new test can give results in five to 12 hours, using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and dye to differentiate between live and dead salmonella.

"Processors and consumers will benefit from the speed and sensitivity of the new test's results," Azlin Mustapha, associate professor of food science in the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, said in a statement. "This will keep companies from shipping contaminated products, and thus, keep salmonella infected products out of consumers' hands."

To implement the test, companies would need to buy PCR equipment and train employees to use it, Mustapha said, but the system is less work and takes less time than conventional tests. The Missouri Department of Agriculture has started to use a similar technique Mustapha developed to test for E. coli in ground beef.

The research appears in the Journal of Food Science.

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