Molecular and Microbiological Studies of Food Products to Detect Microbial Contamination

摘要

Foodborne diseases are a major risk for human health. Millions of people get sick as a result of eatingcontaminated food. Food poisoning occur due to consumption of water and food which is contaminated withmicroorganisms that cause diseases. Food poisoning is suspected when an acute illness with the adverseeffects on the digestive system or the nervous system, affects two or more persons, who shared the mealduring the past 72 hours. In microbial food poisoning, microbes multiply in the food before consumption,while in the food-borne infection, food is just a carrier for the microbes as they do not grow on the substrate.Early detection of food-borne pathogens with high specificity and improved sensitivity is very crucial, suchas in case of an outbreak of foodborne illness. The traditional detection methods are less sensitive, laboriousand time-consuming. Molecular detection methods based on latest genomic technologies are more sensitive,such as next-generation sequencing, Real-Time PCR, microarray and others molecular biology techniques areable to provide faster results with more accuracy. DNA based testing is now feasible on a single molecule andhigh-throughput screening methods facilitate analysis of various parameters simultaneously, thus allowingvarious characteristics to be determined quickly and with more sensitivity. The purpose of the present reviewis to elucidate the application of modern DNA technology for detecting food contaminations by analyzing thegenetic material in the sample, data analysis and highlights various testing procedures with high specificity andimproved sensitivity for monitoring pathogens in food items.