bioMérieux, a manufacturer in the field of in vitro diagnostics, today received two First Action Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) approvals from AOAC International for innovative food safety testing methods: VIDAS UP Listeria (LPT) and VIDAS Listeria monocytogenes xpress (LMX). The AOAC Expert Review Panel (ERP) approval of two food pathogen tests simultaneously highlights the reliability and significance of this complete Listeria screening solution, the company said.
VIDAS UP LPT and VIDAS LMX complement the company’s other next day food safety tests, VIDAS UP E. coli O157 (including H7) and VIDAS UP Salmonella, which are also based on phage technology.
The capability of both assays to test sample sizes of up to 125g, represents another industry milestone. These test approvals mirror the recent USDA-FSIS MLG 8.08 requirement to test larger composite sample sizes.
The new VIDAS UP LPT solution utilizes recombinant bacteriophage (phage) proteins that offer best-in-class specificity and sensitivity for the targeted and rapid detection of Listeria species in food and environmental samples. The VIDAS UP LPT assay is one of the most rapid and easy-touse Listeria spp. screening tests for food and environmental samples. Based on phage protein technology, it is able to detect low contamination levels and provides an extremely simple enrichment protocol, which reduces laboratory hands-on time, and delivers results in 27 hours as compared to reference methods, which require up to five days.
The VIDAS LMX assay is one of the most rapid, automated, easy-to-use solutions for the screening of L. monocytogenes, the human pathogenic, adulterant strain of Listeria, in food and environmental samples. VIDAS LMX delivers results in as little as 28 hours, where traditional methods can take up to three days. The test provides a simple sample preparation, with minimal manipulations, resulting in an optimized laboratory workflow.
VIDAS UP LPT & LMX have already been ISO 16140 certified by AFNOR for all human foods and production environment samples.
These two Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) approvals from AOAC INTERNATIONAL total close to 20 OMAs bioMérieux has obtained for its quality solutions.
"The 2011 listeria cantaloupe outbreak killed 33 people and was the third largest food outbreak in the US. bioMérieux is committed to bringing innovative solutions to our customers to ensure a safer food supply.” declared Nicolas Cartier, Corporate Vice-President, Industrial Microbiology Unit of bioMérieux. “VIDAS UP LPT is the newest member of the VIDAS UP menu that simplifies agrifood laboratories’ workflow, enabling improved cost-efficiency of food production."