Enhancing food safety labs with rapid detection of Salmonella, Listeria and moulds
With the growing number and diversity of microorganisms infecting humans and animals and 2024 data showing a rise in zoonotic diseases, accurate microbiological testing is vital for detecting foodborne pathogens, spoilage organisms, and technological strains.
In a food veterinary laboratory, the identification and typing of pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, and moulds are crucial for ensuring food safety and public health. This scientific panel focuses on advanced methodologies for detecting these microorganisms, including rapid techniques such as MALDI-TOF MS and FTIR-spectroscopy.
Foodborne pathogens like Salmonella, Listeria, and moulds pose significant risks to public health, making their accurate identification and typing in food and veterinary laboratories essential. PCR, FTIR-spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF MS offer different approaches. MALDI-TOF MS identifies microorganisms based on their unique protein fingerprints, providing rapid and cost-effective results. This technique is particularly advantageous for data analysis up to species level, due to its speed, as it can deliver results within minutes once the organism is cultured.
Key questions to be addressed in the panel include: Which is the recommended method for quick, broad-spectrum identification? Are MALDI-TOF MS and FTIR-spectroscopy effective tools for confirming Salmonella and Listeria? And can FTIR-spectroscopy deliver same-day identification and typing results once the organism is cultured?
Furthermore, this panel will explore the latest advancements in pathogen confirmation from colony material, including new workflows for mould identification and the application of FTIR-spectroscopy for contamination root cause analysis. Attendees will also hear about new applications of FTIR-spectroscopy for faster, more accurate Salmonella and Listeria typing.
Key learning points:
- New database content of MALDI-TOF MS
- New workflow of confirmation and typing of Salmonella and Listeria by MALDI-TOF MS and FTIR-spectroscopy
- New workflow for identification of moulds.
Presenter: Francis Muchaamba (Postdoc Researcher at Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich )
Currently Postdoc Researcher at University of Zurich. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zurich, CH. Study of Veterinary Medicine at University of Zimbabwe.
Presenter: Sébastien Vacher (Scientific Affairs)
Nearly 20 years with Conidia. Research Doctorate, Microbiology at University Claude Bernard Lyon and formation sur la gestion d’entreprises, at emlyon business school.
Presenter: Olaf Degen (Director Industry Microbiology)
Worked for five years at Bruker and is currently Director Industry Microbiology. Microbiology Researcher at Humboldt University Berlin. Dipl.-Biologist at Freie University Berlin. MBA, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA & WHU, Vallendar, Germany.
Presenter: Sarah Guerriat (Researcher at Department of Food technology, Safety and Health)
Recently finished Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at University of Liège. Study of Veterinary Medicine at Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
