Health Canada Extends DuPont BAX System Certification to Include Composited Samples for E. coli O157:H7 Testing

05 Dec 2014 --- The Health Canada Microbiological Methods Committee has extended its approval of the DuPont BAX System Real-Time PCR Assay for E. coli O157:H7 in the Compendium of Analytical Methods: Laboratory Procedures for the Microbiological Analysis of Foods. The BAX System assay, published in the Compendium as MFLP-76, is now approved for testing composited samples of ground beef weighing up to 375 g.

Originally approved by Health Canada in April 2011, the BAX System Real-Time PCR Assay for E. coli O157:H7 provides users with a rapid screening method for detecting presumptive E. coli O157:H7 – including non-motile strains and other atypical O157:H7 variants – in individual 65 g samples of raw ground beef and 375 g samples of raw beef trim. With this extended method approval, users also can elect to composite multiple ground beef enrichments into a single, larger sample before testing to quickly identify negative samples, greatly increase testing throughput and reduce the overall cost per test.

“Customers who perform a large number of pathogen tests every day – such as service laboratories and corporate testing labs – value a detection system that maximizes sample throughput and offers the greatest level of flexibility,” said Kathy Wilson, Canadian business manager, DuPont Nutrition & Health Diagnostics. “With the addition of composite sample testing as an approved protocol in the Compendium of Analytical Methods, we are proud to announce that the BAX System can provide our customers with this additional time-, labor- and cost-saving alternative for ground beef testing in accordance with Health Canada regulations.”

Food processing companies around the world rely on the award-winning BAX System to detect pathogens or other organisms in raw ingredients, finished products and environmental samples. The automated system uses leading-edge technology, including PCR assays with tableted reagents and optimized media, to detect Salmonella, Listeria species, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and STEC, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio, and yeast and mold. Many of these tests have been certified by AOAC and AFNOR and/or approved by government agencies in the Americas, Asia and Europe.