In the news

A team of researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. are developing a plastic packaging strip that could one day tell consumers if a meat sample is safe to eat. They’ve developed a thin, plastic patch they call Sentinel Wrap that changes color under UV light when it comes into contact with meat contaminated with E. coli. The thin, flexible plastic patch looks simple, but it’s taken 15 years of research to get it to work, according to Tohid Didar, an assistant professor in McMaster’s chemical and mechanical engineering department. A printer deposits small droplets of DNA molecules onto a thin, flexible plastic film. Exposure of the strip to sample contaminated with E. coli followed by its exposure to UV light make the strip light up, signaling the presence of bacteria. The patches also detect contamination in water and other liquids. The findings were published journal ACS Nano. They are hoping to have a commercial product in 2 years. @ https://www-cbc-ca.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4736801

A cluster of illnesses connected to a Gatlinburg tourist attraction has triggered the Tennessee Health Department probe after clients had diarrhea. At least 550 people at a Gatlinburg area zip line attraction due to an E. coli infection. East Tennessee Region Health Department Assistant Director Gail Harmon said well water samples are en route to Nashville for advanced tests because initial tests showed E. coli bacteria and total coliforms were present in CLIMB Works’ water. The Tennessee Department of Health used CLIMB Works online sales records to email 2,901 surveys asking patrons of the business if they became ill after visiting the attraction. Nearly 808 people have responded to the survey, 548 of whom reported illness. Harmon said of the 548 people who reported illness, 505 said they were traveling as part of a group that ranged from two to 30 people. The business says they plan to have swabs taken from its harnesses and countertops to check for anything they might find. @ https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2018/07/10/health-dept-gatlinburg-climb-works-zipline-canopy-tour-patrons-get-tested-after-illnesses/770600002/

In a study appearing in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters scientists from the University of Texas at Austin and Nanjing University in China have developed a wireless device that can send signals to smartphones warning consumers and food distributors when meat and other perishables have spoiled. The sensor is composed of a nanostructured, polymer-based gas sensor that can detect substances called biogenic amines (BAs), which give decomposing meat its odor. The sensors were embedded into near field communication (NFC) devices placed next to meats. After the meats had been stored for 24 hours at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the researchers found that the gas sensors successfully detected significant amounts of BAs. When the concentration of biogenic amines is over a preset threshold, the information can be transmitted to a nearby smartphone. @ https://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/News/Details/80532

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) awarded 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). These are the 3 most common pathogens requiring testing for food safety in meat, poultry, and egg-related products. The 3M system was chosen after a rigorous performance evaluation against other commercially available methods. The 3M 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 PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) pathogen testing methods. It simultaneously accommodates individual, pathogen-specific assays, enabling users in meat, poultry and other 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 3M™ Molecular Detection Assays have been validated by leading scientific validation organizations throughout the world (AOAC® INTERNATIONAL, AFNOR, MicroVal) for a comprehensive variety of sample types. @ https://www-yahoo-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/finance/news/usda-food-safety-inspection-chooses-214500919.html