AOAC INTERNATIONAL has approved Bio-Rad’s iQ-Check Enterobacteriaceae Real-Time PCR Detection Kit, which is used to detect Enterobacteriaceae in dairy products. Enterobacteriaceae is a large family of gram-negative bacteria, which includes Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and others.

The iQ-Check Enterobacteriaceae Real-Time PCR Detection Kit method was validated against the ISO reference method using Bio-Rad’s PIF Supplement, which facilitates a shorter enrichment time for sample sizes up to 375 grams. Bio-Rad offers a fully harmonized enrichment protocol for real-time PCR and cultural methods to individually detect Enterobacteriaceae, Cronobacter, and Salmonella from a single sample, helping to decrease the costs, labor, and time associated with testing dairy products.

Although the ISO 21528-1:2017 approach to detection of Enterobacteriaceae is accurate, it is labor-intensive and requires at least two days to screen for negative samples. The iQ-Check Enterobacteriaceae Real-Time PCR Detection Kit method matches the accuracy of the ISO method while reducing labor requirements and testing time.

To obtain approval, Bio-Rad participated in a validation study through AOAC INTERNATIONAL’s Performance Tested Methods (PTM) program. The study included 10 and 375-gram test portions of milk powder, powdered infant formula, and powdered infant formula with probiotics in addition to swabs from stainless steel taken from the processing plant environment. The samples were enriched for 18 to 22 hours with and without the PIF Supplement.

The approved method included a confirmation step with RAPID’Enterobacteriaceae Chromogenic Medium and showed no difference when compared to the reference method.

To learn more about iQ-Check Real-Time PCR Detection Kits for food safety testing, please visit bio-rad.com/iqcheck.