Pitfalls of serotyping include the time needed to reach final classifications. With dangerous microbes like salmonella to analyze, time is of the essence for proper safety determinations. Now, researchers at Cornell, the Mars Global Food Safety Center in Beijing, and the University of Georgia have designed a method for sequencing the whole-genome of salmonella serotypes in just two hours and the whole identification process within eight hours. Their research was published in the journal, Food Microbiology.
The determination of salmonella’s serotype is set to optimize a variety of laboratory workflow safety protocols. Food industries dealing with the production and development of a variety of commodities will now benefit from optimized serotyping methods.
"As the food supply chain becomes ever more global and interconnected, the opportunity for food to become contaminated with salmonella increases," said lead author Silin Tang, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the Mars Global Food Safety Center. "In the fast-moving world of food manufacturing, where rapid identification and response to salmonella contamination incidents is critical, developing a more efficient pathogen identification method is essential."
Conventional serotyping is hindered by high costs and complex sample preparations. Now, whole-genome sequencing can give laboratory regulators and food scientists more robust serotyping methods to incorporate into to their production and laboratory workflows.