-Certification validates system’s ability to detect the E. coli
organism, a common cause of foodborne illnesses-
Today, 3M Food Safety announced that it received AOAC-PTM Certification
(#071202) for its new 3M™ Molecular Detection Assay for E. coli
O157 (including H7) from the AOAC Research Institute’s Performance
Tested MethodsSM Program. The certification gives food
processors greater assurance in safeguarding against pathogenic E.
coli, a causative agent of foodborne illness responsible for an
estimated 73,000 cases annually in the U.S. and second only to Salmonella
in the number of outbreaks.
Introduced in December 2011, the 3M™ Molecular Detection System combines
two innovative technologies – isothermal DNA amplification and
bioluminescence detection – to provide a fast and reliable method of
pathogen detection in enriched food, feed and food process environmental
samples. Determined to be equivalent to standard FDA and USDA reference
methods for the detection of E. coli O157,this AOAC-PTM
certification validates 3M’s new molecular approach for pathogen
detection.
The PTM validation of E. coli O157 follows an earlier validation
of the Salmonella assay from the AOAC Research Institute, which
bases certification of methods on independent study results
demonstrating that a given method meets its product performance claims
as expressed in the product package insert. For the 3M Molecular
Detection Assay E. coli O157 method PTM study, artificially
contaminated samples were enriched and evaluated by the 3M Molecular
Detection System as compared to the appropriate FDA or USDA FSIS
reference method. Sample groups evaluated included raw ground beef,
bagged spinach and sprouts, and no statistically significant differences
were found in sample results between the 3M Molecular Detection Assay E.
coli O157 (including H7) and reference methods.
“We are very excited about this validation and what it means for the 3M
Molecular Detection System,” said DeAnn Benesh, regulatory affairs
specialist with 3M Food Safety. “AOAC-PTM approval of 3M’s Salmonella and
E. coli O157 (including H7) assays are the first of numerous
validations for this product line, emphasizing the value of a pathogen
detection solution that is fast, accurate, easy-to-use and affordable.”
The company developed the 3M Molecular Detection System and its test
kits with the needs of its worldwide food processing clientele in mind,
involving them early in the design process. As a result, a small but
powerful technology was produced, capable of targeting and amplifying
nucleic acid in enriched samples with excellent sensitivity and
specificity.
For more information, visit www.3M.com/3MMolecularDetectionSystem/ECOAOAC.
AOAC RI, based in Gaithersburg, MD, is a subsidiary of AOAC
International, a globally recognized, independent, not-for-profit
association founded in 1884. AOAC serves communities of the analytical
sciences by providing the tools and processes necessary to develop
voluntary consensus standards or technical standards through stakeholder
consensus and working groups in which the fit-for-purpose and method
performance criteria are established and fully documented. AOAC provides
a science-based solution and its Official Methods of Analysis gives
defensibility, credibility and confidence in decision-making. AOAC
Official Methods are accepted and recognized worldwide.
3M Food Safety is a leader of innovative solutions that help the
food and beverage industries optimize the quality and safety of their
products to enable consumer protection. At every step, 3M Food Safety
provides solutions that help mitigate risk, improve operational
efficiencies and impact the bottom line. Follow us on Twitter @3M Food
Safety.
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into
thousands of ingenious products. Its culture of creative collaboration
inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life
better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With
$30 billion in sales, 3M employs 84,000 people worldwide and has
operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com
or follow @3MNews on Twitter.
