99D-29 |
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J. PREVOST KIRKWOOD1, A. A. Ismail2, L. Gour3, J. Austin4, S. Al-Khaldi5, M. M. Mossoba5, I. Iugovaz3, and J. Sedman1. (1) Dept. of Food Science / McGill IR Group, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-De-Bellevue, QC H3A 2B4, Canada, (2) Dept. of Food Science & Agricultural Chemistry, McGill Univ., Macdonald Campus, 21111 Lakeshore Rd., Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada, (3) Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Longueuil, QC, Canada, (4) Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada, (5) Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling & Dietary Supplements, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., HFS-517, College Park, MD 20740-3835 Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a rapid and nondestructive technique that has been demonstrated within the past decade to provide a highly sensitive and reproducible means for the identification of microorganisms without the use of reagents. Recently developed infrared imaging technology can potentially provide the capability of analyzing hundreds of samples simultaneously in a matter of minutes, thus meeting the need for rapid, automated screening methods that can ensure the microbial safety of produce and packaged foods and allay concerns about possible intentional contamination of the food supply. The objective of this study is to develop a practical high-throughput system for rapid identification of pathogenic foodborne microorganisms by infrared imaging employing a rapid-scan FPA-FTIR spectrometer. FPA-FTIR spectral images of over 80 isolates from various genera including Clostridium, Listeria, Salmonella, Escherichia, Staphylococcus, and Shigella were recorded. Dendrograms were generated based on the spectral data in the region between 1350 and 970 cm-1 by applying hierarchical cluster analysis using the Ward linkage together with Euclidean distance as the metric. The results obtained indicated that successful discrimination using all the strains included in the study could be achieved. The benefits of this FTIR methodology would include more rapid analyses, the elimination of the need for reagents, a decrease in the cost of analysis per sample by an order of magnitude, and amenability to automation. This powerful identification technique for microorganisms will allow public health organizations to act with high-level responsiveness and timeliness to allay potential health risks.
Session 99D, Food Microbiology: General
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