Detection Limits of Insect Fragments in Spiked Whole Wheat Flour Using Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

The need for a sensitive molecular method to detect specific species of insect contaminants in food products remains a significant challenge in the food industry. This study evaluated the detection limit of a multiplex end-point PCR assay for detecting insects in food. The assay amplifies two fragments of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI-Fa and COI-Fb) and one fragment of the protein-coding wingless (wg) gene found in insects.

Development of a Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assay for the Potential Detection of Insect Contaminants in Food.

Molecular methods can potentially be used to detect insect contaminants of food products. In this study, we used three sets of group-specific primers, two of them targeting the amplification of two regions of the insect's mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI-Fa and COI-Fb) and the other targeting a region of the nuclear protein-coding wingless (wg) gene. Using singleplex and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we evaluated the three sets of primers using genomic DNA (gDNA) from 48 insect species including food storage insect pests and known vectors of foodborne pathogens.

Prevalence of Salmonella in 11 Spices Offered for Sale from Retail Establishments and in Imported Shipments Offered for Entry to the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted a survey to evaluate Salmonella prevalence and aerobic plate counts in packaged (dried) spices offered for sale at retail establishments in the United States.

Presence of Undeclared Food Allergens in Cumin: The Need for Multiplex Methods.

Beginning in the autumn of 2014, millions of dollars of food and over 675 products were recalled in the United States due to the presence of undeclared peanut, attributed to cumin used in the manufacture of the products. Initial analyses also indicated the presence of almond. Subsequent research showed that the presence of peanut and almond did not fully explain the analytical results for the cumin samples.

Ingested Salmonella enterica, Cronobacter sakazakii, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes: transmission dynamics from adult house flies to their eggs and first filial (F1) generation adults.

Background: The mechanical transmission of pathogenic bacteria by synanthropic filth flies is widely recognized. While many studies report the fate and the temporospatial distribution of ingested foodborne bacteria by filth flies, there is little evidence about the transmission dynamics of ingested foodborne bacteria by adult house flies (Musca domestica) to their progeny. In this study, we fed parental house fly adults with food contaminated with low, medium, and high concentrations of Salmonella enterica, Cronobacter sakazakii, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes and evaluated the probability of transmission of these pathogens to house fly eggs and the surface and the alimentary canal of their first filial (F1) generation adults.