BAX® System Receives Emergency Response Validation

The BAX® system from DuPont Nutrition & Health has been certified by AOAC Research Institute as an Emergency Response Validation (ERV) method for detecting Salmonella in peanut butter. The method has been shown to detect even low levels of Salmonella, and it will be published in the Journal of AOAC International.

The ERV program was introduced earlier this year by AOAC Research Institute, a subsidiary of AOAC International (Gaithersberg, Md.), to quickly respond to emerging food contamination crises.

Blind coded samples were prepared by an independent laboratory, and candidate methods were tested against established reference methods. Successful methods were issued a Certificate of Validation from the ERV program.

'Although the BAX® System has been AOAC-certified since 2002 as effective for detecting Salmonella in peanut butter and many other foods, participation in this program provides additional validation of efficacy and reliability,' said Morgan Wallace, senior research microbiologist - DuPont Nutrition & Health.

Food processing companies around the world rely on the BAX® system to detect pathogens or other organisms in raw ingredients, finished products and environmental samples. The automated system uses leading-edge technology, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, tableted reagents and optimized media to also detect Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria spp., E. coli O157:H7, Enterobacter sakazakii, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio, yeast and mold. With certifications and regulatory approvals in the Americas, Asia and Europe, the BAX® system is recognized globally as the most advanced pathogen testing system available to food companies.

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