US-based 3M Food Safety has announced that its Listeria detection system, 3M Tecra Listeria Visual Immunoassay (VIA), has received validation from the AOAC Research Institute's Performance Tested Methods Program (AOAC-PTM).
3M noted that 3M Tecra Listeria VIA allows food processors to monitor Listeria levels to detect contaminated areas within the plant and track progress. Using 3M Enviro Swabs or 3M Sponges, the sample is collected and enriched before being placed in the assay where the results are read and analyzed. The VIA can provide results in just 48 hours.
The AOAC Research Institute (AOAC RI) offers certification of methods based on independent study results. For the 3M Tecra Listeria VIA PTM study, artificially contaminated surfaces were evaluated as compared to the appropriate US Food and Drug Administration or US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service reference method.
No statistically significant differences were found in results between the 3M method and the reference methods, the company said.
AOAC RI, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a subsidiary of AOAC International, an independent, not-for-profit association which provides the tools and processes necessary to develop voluntary consensus standards or technical standards.
3M Food Safety offers solutions to the food and beverage industries to help optimize the quality and safety of their products to enable consumer protection.
