Molecular Testing Solution Receives Emergency Response Validation for Detection of Salmonella in Peanut Butter

Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:LIFE), today announced the certification of its TaqMan^® Salmonella enterica Detection Kit for the identification of Salmonella in peanut butter through the new Emergency Response Validation program of the AOAC Research Institute, one of the world’s leading food industry standards organizations. Validation of the Applied Biosystems kit is part of an effort to effectively respond to the recent peanut butter contamination crisis, which resulted in the largest food recall in U.S. history. The TaqMan Salmonella enterica Detection Kit is a molecular-based tool for monitoring the safety of the food supply that could help avoid costly recalls of food products in the future.

The new Emergency Response Validation program is intended to enhance the ability of government and industry to test the food supply for Salmonella, which has been implicated in several recent outbreaks, including peppers, sprouts and tomatoes. The outbreak in peanut butter sickened hundreds of people and has been implicated in at least nine deaths. As part of this program, the AOAC is extending validation of several methods previously certified for the identification of Salmonella in various foods to include detection in peanut butter. This supports food companies’ increasing measures to prevent contaminated foods from reaching consumers.

The TaqMan Salmonella enterica Detection Kit was introduced into the food safety testing market with AOAC Performance Tested Methods^SM certification in 2008 as part of Applied Biosystems’ initiative to serve a broader range of customers. It is a real-time PCR-based method that identifies pathogens by detecting their DNA in food samples, allowing food companies and regulators to quickly and accurately detect contamination. This Applied Biosystems kit enables testing laboratories to obtain results in less than 20 hours, which is significantly faster than alternative methods, which can take up to five days.

Scott Coates, AOAC Research Institute Chief Scientific Officer, Microbiology

“Food companies and government agencies are responding to increasing pressure to protect the health of consumers.