Food Testing

It is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the US get sick from food-borne diseases, and 3,000 people die every year as a result. Eating food contaminated with harmful pathogens, such as Salmonella or Listeria, is the main cause of illness. Therefore, testing food for pathogens is crucial for monitoring food safety. Advanced PCR-based methods are the fastest and most reliable ways to detect pathogens in food and require high-quality extracted DNA for precise, accurate results.

Read this article to learn how to detect bacterial DNA with high sensitivity in a variety of food samples.

Download this poster to learn about Maxwell^® RSC protocols for purifying Gram⁺ and Gram^– genomic DNA from food samples.

Food identity testing is important for ensuring labeling accuracy; e.g., identifying the species present in a processed meat mixture or animal feed. PCR-based methods are an easy and accurate way to look for species-specific DNA sequences in food items. The choice of DNA purification method, as well as the choice of PCR targets, can greatly influence success in food analysis, depending on the specific foodstuffs and target DNA involved.

View this webinar to learn about identifying food ingredients and detecting genetically modified events in food samples.

Watch this video to learn about automated purification of DNA from food samples.

The European Union (EU) and many other countries have policies for labeling or excluding products containing material from GMO. GMO testing confirms the amount of GMO present in plants, seeds or foods and ensures compliance with EU and global regulations. PCR-based GMO detection methods are commonly used and rely on high yields of DNA with high purity for reproducible performance.

Read this blog to learn about the development of the Maxwell® RSC PureFood GMO and Authentication Kit for automated extraction of genomic DNA from seeds.

This article describes a protocol for extracting high-quality, RNA-free DNA from plant and food samples for GMO testing.