Food testing strips
Encyclopedia
Food testing strips are products that help determine whether or not food contains bacteria that can cause foodborne illness
. These products can typically be used on food, water, and hard surfaces, and are often designed for quick and easy home and commercial use.
One type of food testing strip is an assay enzyme reactant test. This test requires the food testing strip to be dipped into a blended mixture of food or test samples, distilled water and a reagent. These strips are designed specifically to detect those strains of E.coli
and Salmonella
that are harmful to humans.
A second type of food testing strip is a gram-negative swab, which is usually administered directly to the food itself. Gram-negative swabs generally work faster than enzyme reactant strips, but they differ in that the gram-negative swabs are designed to detect a broad group of organisms, not just those that can cause foodborne illness in humans.
The gram-negative reactant activates when components of the gram-negative cell wall or specific enzymes are present, causing the swab itself to change color. This is not directly indicative of the presence or absence of human pathogen in the test sample.
People are now working on new ways to enhance these pathogen strips with silk pills and new nano-fiber technology
Foodborne illness
Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous mushrooms.-Causes:Foodborne illness usually arises from improper handling, preparation, or...
. These products can typically be used on food, water, and hard surfaces, and are often designed for quick and easy home and commercial use.
Categories
Currently, there are two categories of food testing strips on the market.One type of food testing strip is an assay enzyme reactant test. This test requires the food testing strip to be dipped into a blended mixture of food or test samples, distilled water and a reagent. These strips are designed specifically to detect those strains of E.coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
and Salmonella
Salmonella
Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...
that are harmful to humans.
A second type of food testing strip is a gram-negative swab, which is usually administered directly to the food itself. Gram-negative swabs generally work faster than enzyme reactant strips, but they differ in that the gram-negative swabs are designed to detect a broad group of organisms, not just those that can cause foodborne illness in humans.
Usage
The enzyme reactant test strips react when the buffer solution breaks the bacterial wall. This breach releases enzymes, which react upon contact to the enzyme test strips.The gram-negative reactant activates when components of the gram-negative cell wall or specific enzymes are present, causing the swab itself to change color. This is not directly indicative of the presence or absence of human pathogen in the test sample.
People are now working on new ways to enhance these pathogen strips with silk pills and new nano-fiber technology