Molecular methods for the detection of food-borne pathogens an overview

Abstract

With various food-borne pathogens that are liable for human illnesses and in some occasions even deaths, a rapid method for detecting these pathogens has become critical, not only in the food industry for hygienic and monitoring purposes, but also to ensure the safety of consumers. Traditional methods for the detection of food-borne pathogens are cumbersome and time consuming and various rapid methods to detected food-borne pathogens have been established. Among these rapid methods described in the literature, DNA-based methods that purify pathogen DNA from food samples by phenol-chloroform extraction methods or the extraction of pathogen DNA by commercially available DNA extraction kits are commonly used. The DNA-based methods are also more sensitive and selective than the traditional methods, although many of these DNA-based methods are inhibited by food components that play a fundamental role in the sensitivity of the DNA amplification reaction. This article review methods used to extract DNA from food samples, as well as the methods used to separate and/or concentrate bacteria found in food samples.