Category archive for ‘Science’
What is AMP — the tool that can help understand shelf-life
By Annette Sansom Traditional methods of troubleshooting problems caused by microorganisms require the culturing of the microorganism in question. This has limitations linked to the conditions used to grow microbes. Advanced microbial profiling (AMP) is an alternative. It is a powerful DNA technique used to determine the unique mix of the microorganisms (microbiome) in food […]
Getting it Right: Pathogen Detection
By Lois Harris Choosing the right pathogen detection technology for food manufacturing businesses can be a daunting task. But it’s a necessity, considering the grave consequences of allowing E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria to go undetected in the food that is produced and distributed. While the “gold standard” for the industry is still culture-related methods […]
The Evolving Nature of Food Safety Points to Food Toxicity as the Next Frontier
By Jackie Bowen Food safety is traditionally centred around mitigating the most immediate risks to consumer health and wellness, and is primarily focused on microbiological contaminants with the potential to cause serious adverse health effects in the short term. At the same time, our society is focused on avoiding health risks related to environmental contaminants […]
Sourcing Irrigation Water for Agricultural Safety
By Jaan Koel Water quality failures from water contamination may hit the news because of their impact on consumers but the implications for farmers are no less severe. Two prominent examples: • the Walkerton, ON, coli outbreak in May 2000, which was caused by livestock runoff. Seven people died and thousands of others were sickened. […]