The Health Canada Microbiological Methods Committee has extended its approval of the DuPont™ BAX® System Real-Time PCR Assay for E. coli O157:H7 in the Compendium of Analytical Methods: Laboratory Procedures for the Microbiological Analysis of Foods. The BAX® System assay, published in the Compendium as MFLP-76, is now approved for testing composited samples of ground beef weighing up to 375 g.

Originally approved by Health Canada in April 2011, the BAX® System Real-Time PCR Assay for E. coli O157:H7 provides users with a rapid screening method for detecting presumptive E. coli O157:H7 – including non-motile strains and other atypical O157:H7 variants – in individual 65 g samples of raw ground beef and 375 g samples of raw beef trim. With this extended method approval, users also can elect to composite multiple ground beef enrichments into a single, larger sample before testing to quickly identify negative samples, greatly increase testing throughput and reduce the overall cost per test.

“Customers who perform a large number of pathogen tests every day – such as service laboratories and corporate testing labs – value a detection system that maximizes sample throughput and offers the greatest level of flexibility,” said Kathy Wilson, Canadian business manager, DuPont Nutrition & Health Diagnostics. “With the addition of composite sample testing as an approved protocol in the Compendium of Analytical Methods, we are proud to announce that the BAX® System can provide our customers with this additional time-, labor- and cost-saving alternative for ground beef testing in accordance with Health Canada regulations.”

Food processing companies around the world rely on the award-winning BAX® System to detect pathogens or other organisms in raw ingredients, finished products and environmental samples. The automated system uses leading-edge technology, including PCR assays with tableted reagents and optimized media, to detect Salmonella, Listeria species, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and STEC, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio, and yeast and mold.  Many of these tests have been certified by AOAC and AFNOR and/or approved by government agencies in the Americas, Asia and Europe.