USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service chooses 3M for pathogen testing

The contract makes the 3M Molecular Detection System the primary method used by USDA FSIS for the detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli.

3M Food Safety, St. Paul, Minn., was awarded a contract from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for pathogen detection instruments and kits. The contract makes the 3M Molecular Detection System the primary method to be used by USDA FSIS for the detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157 (including H7) – three major pathogenic organisms. USDA FSIS chose the 3M system after rigorous performance evaluation against other commercially available methods, the company said.

3M said its Molecular Detection System combines novel technologies — isothermal DNA amplification and bioluminescence detection — resulting in a fast, accurate, easy-to-use application that overcomes some limitations of polymerase chain reaction pathogen testing methods.

It simultaneously accommodates individual pathogen-specific assays, enabling users in food and beverage categories to run up to 96 different tests concurrently for a range of organisms and across various food and environmental samples, the company said. The next-generation 3M Molecular Detection Assays have been validated by leading scientific validation organizations throughout the world for a comprehensive variety of sample types.