Oxoid - Product Detail

Description
In food quality testing, the emphasis is not on pathogenicity but rather on spoilage. Both yeast and mould cause various degrees of deterioration and decomposition of foods. Products containing yeast and mould cells do not usually cause human illness, but high levels of these organisms can cause products to look, smell, or taste bad. This not only diminishes the appeal of the product and brand, but can also result in substantial economic losses to the manufacturer.

When yeast and mould are present in a food sample, the genetic-based BAX System uses the power of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to rapidly create (amplify) millions of copies of a unique, DNA fragment that is specific to yeasts and moulds for reliable detection. By using different protocols, the user can set threshold levels. This enables them to customize the assay to meet the specific requirements that they have set for each of their products or product groups. Current traditional methods take 5 days or more to yield a result. The BAX System gives a result after 48 hours (or same day for the direct protocol), thereby significantly reducing the time to result.

BAX System assays simplify the method by combining all the PCR reagents you need into a single tablet, conveniently packaged inside the PCR tubes contained in each kit. Reducing the number of manual manipulations and pipetting steps, the tabletted reagents improve accuracy and consistency; hands-on time is reduced to a minimum and shelf life is increased.

After standard enrichment, samples are lysed to break open the cell walls and release DNA. This lysate is then used to hydrate the PCR tablets. Processing in the automated thermo-cycler takes less than 4 hours for a full rack of 96 tests. Electronic results appear as positive/negative icons on-screen, and the data can be easily stored, shared or printed.

Applications
The BAX System detects yeast and mould in food, including shredded cheese and flour products. The standard protocol detects yeast and mould in food products at concentrations of 50 cfu/g or more after 44 hours enrichment. Alternative protocols detect concentrations of 10-50 cfu/g. Thresholds can be customized to a lab's action levels for different food products. For labs with higher action levels, a direct testing protocol for >500 cfu/g yields same day results. Validation studies on enriched samples show that the BAX System reliably reports positive results for samples with yeast and mould at or above the cutoff threshold. Concentrations below the threshold are correctly called negative.

BAX System Q7