Scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed a PCR test that can detect very small quantities of Salmonella on ready-to-eat meat and produce after a short incubation period.
Studies conducted in the lab comparing this new kit to one offered commercially indicate that the new kit, which is less expensive than the commercial product, can reliably detect two to four Salmonella cells in 25 grams of meat or produce after an incubation period of only eight hours. It is hoped that this level of sensitivity would enable producers of ready-to-eat products to detect possible contamination prior to shipment of products and thus reduce the potential exposure to consumers and the need for product recalls.