New detection methods help to improve food safety

摘要

Government scientists are developing quicker, more reliable and cost-effective methods to test for contaminants in food. By developing new detection techniques and processes that incorporate principles from many different scientific disciplines, Agricultural Research Service scientists in Wyndmoor, Pa., are improving food safety. Regulatory agencies and the food industry need fast, automated, cost-effective analytical methods that are accurate, reliable and safe and that minimize waste. Several of the research unit's chemists are using advanced technologies to develop methods to screen, detect and confirm multiple chemical residues — such as veterinary drugs and pesticides — and pathogenic bacteria and their toxins in food products.