RapidChek® SELECT™ for Poultry Houses, Eggs, Chicken Rinses

SDIX™,have announced that its recently launched RapidChek® SELECT™ Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) test system has earned Performance-Tested Methods^SM (PTM) certification from the AOAC Research Institute (AOAC RI).

The AOAC PTM certification validates RapidChek SELECT SE as equivalent to the FDA methodology for detecting SE in poultry house environments and pooled eggs. This new test can help the approximately 3,300 egg producing farmers meet new the FDA regulation that went into effect in July, 2010.

The SDIX test performs significantly faster than the FDA's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) method and other commercial tests, yielding results for environmental samples and eggs in only 2 days. The FDA method requires 5 days for environmental samples and 7 days for eggs. Other AOAC PTM-certified commercially available tests require considerably longer egg testing time to results. The SDIX test enables egg producers to comply with FDA regulations while getting the benefits of much shorter time-to-result, and thus enabling them to realize significant savings related to the cost of holding product.

The AOAC PTM certification also demonstrated RapidChek SELECT's equivalency to the USDA-FSIS' method for testing poultry meat products as performed on chicken carcass rinses. Poultry processors can couple the newly certified SE-specific test with SDIX's AOAC PTM-certified Salmonella species test as a fast and cost-effective way to follow-up on positive results from this screening test.

Zerlinde Johnson, AOAC Research Institute Program Manager, said, 'In support of the egg industry's need for validated analytical screening technologies for Salmonella Enteritidis, the AOAC Research Institute provides an independent third-party evaluation of technologies claiming to detect Salmonella Enteritidis. Peer reviewed evaluations that support performance claims and demonstrate performance equivalent to, or better than, the FDA BAM method for Salmonella Enteritidis are granted AOAC Performance-Tested Methods^SM certification.'

Tim Lawruk, Food Safety Market Manager at SDIX, said, 'The RapidChek® SELECT™ SE test system can deliver results faster than the FDA BAM method but also adds increased sensitivity and accuracy. These combined benefits enable egg producers to identify SE in the environment before it contaminates the eggs, thus helping to ensure safer eggs and reducing the chances of a costly recall. If a situation arises where eggs have to be tested and subsequently held, getting results up to 5 days sooner can be a substantial financial benefit. The ability to screen for SE quickly and accurately is especially relevant today given the recall of over 500 million eggs that resulted in nearly 2,000 cases of Salmonella poisoning.'

The new testing system is comprised of the RapidChek® SELECT™ Salmonella Enteritidis detection system for screening environmental drag swags, pooled eggs and chicken carcass rinses and the RapidChek® CONFIRM™ Salmonella Enteritidis immunomagnetic separation system for confirmation of presumptive positive environmental samples.