Expanded Database Advances Identification Capabilities of the DuPont™ RiboPrinter® System

DuPont Nutrition & Health has added over 1,500 patterns to its RiboPrinter® System database, providing pharmaceutical and food companies, public health practitioners and epidemiologists with more of the information they need to identify contaminating bacteria in their production environments.

With the DUP 2011 update, the RiboPrinter® System now contains over 8,500 RiboPrint™ patterns or 'fingerprints' of bacteria in its onboard reference database. Many of these new patterns, such as Corynebacterium and Bacillus, are of significant value to the pharmaceutical sector.

From a simple colony pick, the RiboPrinter® System produces a distinct genetic pattern that differentiates the bacteria at or below the strain level. Associated historical data determine where it came from and if it has ever been run on the system before.

This enables users to map the baseline flora of their facilities and monitor change so that they can spot trends, track contaminating events to their source and perform targeted remediation instead of larger production shut downs.

'We are continuously improving our products to meet evolving customer needs,' said Meg Rutherford, product manager, DuPont Nutrition & Health. 'In addition to this expanded database, we've also optimized many of the reagents and other disposables used with the system for greater efficiency and superior quality.'

Along with the RiboPrinter® system, DuPont Nutrition & Health markets the award-winning BAX® system, an innovative DNA-based technology for detecting pathogens and other organisms in food and environmental samples. With certifications and regulatory approvals in the Americas, Asia and Europe, the BAX® system is recognized globally as one of the most advanced pathogen testing system available to food companies. DuPont Nutrition & Health science-based systems for pathogen detection and microbial monitoring, together with Danisco Care4U™ range of natural food protection solutions, help companies protect their products, productivity and brands.