Early Detection of Salmonella Bacteria in Manufactured Food Could Save Lives. Why Aren’t These Problems Caught Early?

Early detection of Salmonella bacteria in manufactured food could save lives. So why aren’t these problems caught earlier?

That is an easy question with a complicated answer.

Does It Seem Like We Have More Salmonella Contamination in Manufactured Foods?

If it seems like there are more Salmonella contamination events in manufactured foods resulting in outbreaks, recalls, and other headlines, you may be right. Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria are commonly viewed headlines.

It sure does seem like there are more and more foodborne illness events in the news.

This could be due to a variety of reasons.

Information is Easily Available

With the wonderful “world wide web” at our fingertips and a constant barrage of news, trending topics, and social media, information is easily available.

It used to be that when something happened across the country, only those in the vicinity found out about it in the newspaper. If you had relatives in other cities, states, or countries, you may get wider coverage through word-of-mouth.

But, for the most part, information was localized.

Increased availability of information may contribute to feeling like there is more contamination in manufactured foods than historically observed. These Salmonella outbreaks may have occurred, but information was only disseminated locally.

Increased Regulation

When the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed in 2011, major changes happened in the food manufacturing world. Other modifications have been made to the Act over the past few years to make food manufactured in or imported to the United States safer for consumers.

While it wasn’t exactly the wild wild west, rules were not as strenuous.

Some of the more notable additions to food regulation include a produce safety final rule, a pre-harvest agricultural water final rule, an accredited third-party certification final rule, a food traceability final rule, a foreign supplier verification program final rule, a laboratory accreditation final rule, an intentional adulteration final rule, a preventative controls for animal food final rule, a preventative controls for human foods final rule, and a sanitary transportation of food final rule.

Increased Testing Activities

Another reason we are seeing more recalls in the news may be due to increased testing activities.

Routine testing performed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, state health departments, and food manufacturers via third-party laboratories generates more data. More opportunities to detect increases potential contamination events in the news.

Early Detection of Salmonella Bacteria

Knowledge is everything! And early detection of Salmonella bacteria is good knowledge to have.

But how do you achieve this early detection?

Thankfully, detection methods have improved with the availability of new technologies.

Early Detection of Salmonella Bacteria Historically Relied on Cultured Laboratory Tests

One of the first methods of detected Salmonella (and other bacteria) involved growing cells on culture medium to determine what the bacteria looked like and how they behaved with different types of “cellular food.”

Microbiology was the basis of bacterial identification. And it is still a very relevant laboratory test. In fact, most other types of test results are still confirmed through the tried-and-true culture method. It is considered the “gold standard” for microbial analysis.

Now Early Detection of Salmonella Bacteria Methods Have Advanced

Methods for early detection of Salmonella bacteria are now achieved faster than the speed of culture.

And there are options!

From bioreceptors to genetic analysis to optical sensing and more!

Let’s dive into a few of the more popular methods for early detection of Salmonella bacteria.

Bioreceptors

A bioreceptor is a specific molecule used to recognize the germ of interest. These bioreceptors could be associated with different enzymes, antibodies, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or aptamers (single stranded nucleic acid).

When the bioreceptor makes a match, it generates a signal. This could be in the form of heat, pH change, light, or other specific notations.

Optical Sensing

Detection methods using optical sensing technologies can work in several different ways. However, all rely on the same basic principle to determine whether Salmonella germs are present.

This could be a change of color (colorimetry), generating a fluorescence signal (fluorescence analysis), changes in light due to molecular vibration (Raman spectroscopy), creating a cloudy precipitate (surface plasma resonance), color change due to increased temperature (photothermal detection), and so on.

Why Aren’t These Problems Detected Early?

If there are so many options, many of them performed quickly, why aren’t these problems detected earlier? How does a product make it to the market and then get recalled.

Or worse.

Make people sick!

Proactive Testing Not Performed

One reason early detection of Salmonella bacteria is not achieved is lack of proactive testing.

Microbial testing can be expensive. Depending on the size of the operation, batches may be smaller, but frequent. If a food manufacturer believes they are following good manufacturing practices and taking precautions, they may not perform these proactive microbial analyses. They may assume what they are doing is fine.

There is a big problem with assuming. As the old adage goes, you make a certain equine-like animal out of “u” and “me.”

There is still the human factor. Sometimes things go wrong. When that happens, people can get sick.

Sampling Not Performed on Every Batch

Some food manufacturers do send samples of their product out for microbial testing. However, this testing may not be performed on every batch.

Spot checking batches and environmental areas is a good starting point. But it may miss certain key problems.

Sample Size Could Be a Factor

In some cases, a product is tested. But despite the results showing negative for commonly tested pathogen, people get sick. This is more common in large batch operations.

A sample can only capture so much. If there is a small number of bacteria in a really large vat, there is a chance that the bacteria may be so diluted it won’t show up in the test. Or worse, be completely absent from the sample.

Could Our Food Supply Be Safer with Early Detection of Salmonella Bacteria by Food Manufactures?

Of course our food supply would be safer with early detection of Salmonella bacteria by food manufacturers. However, certain hurdles may prevent this testing from occurring or effectively performing.

As a consumer, we should be able to trust foods available to the public. However, steps like proper handwashing, keeping raw foods separate, and cooking to safe internal temperatures can help add the extra level of protection.

Want to Learn More from Make Food Safe?

If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Early Detection of Salmonella Bacteria in Manufactured Food Could Save Lives. Why Aren’t These Problems Caught Early?,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!

By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)