Food Safety
Have you Heard about Hygiena PCR Brands and Product Line Extension?
Whoa! Three PCR brands at Hygiena®? I thought Hygiena just had BAX® for pathogen detection…
Not only is the BAX a showstopper and household name for the detection and quantification of pathogens, but there is always a need for growth and innovation to fulfill the moving target of food safety. Well, there is more to PCR than just pathogens! Pathogens are a core component of a food safety plan but what about GMOs, allergens, animal identification, animal health, spoilage, toxins, viruses, and indicator organisms? Being able to utilize the sensitivity, accuracy, and specificity of a PCR solution is key when thinking about the full view of food safety and quality systems.
Introducing foodproof® and microproof®
Here’s some details: the foodproof brand brings a suite of all of the core pathogen targets with a wide variety of multiplexing (combination of multiple targets into one PCR tests) assays with combinations of pathogens, serotypes, and even indicator organisms like Enterobacteriaceae. We can’t forget the novel screening and identification assay where we can identify up to 8 serotypes in a single PCR test. Outside of pathogens, foodproof has the best spoilage assays on the market. From yeast and mold quantification, Aspergillus detection and identification, to beer screening assays that detect 30 of the most important spoilage bacteria in a single reaction, innovation is alive and well at Hygiena!
On the flip side of the food quality coin, allergens, food fraud, and GMO testing can’t be left out! Rounding out foodproof PCR, we have streamlined GMO testing to utilize the flexibility of PCR to not only detect, but also identify and quantify. With over 25 options for Maize and Soy, our foodproof PCR assays can add stability and consistency to your lab testing procedures compared to preparing homebrew kits. As allergens become more and more life-threatening to consumers, PCR is a great option to detect trace amounts of potential contaminants. Hygiena is leading the charge with foodproof PCR for allergens with options to detect celery, gluten, hazelnut, peanut, and soy! Food fraud has always been a topic for food safety, (we all remember the horse meat debacle). No one wants to feel like they are going on a blind date with their meat, poultry, or seafood products and experience the realization that the profile picture isn’t matching real life! The Animal ID products provide additional verification to protect the products' purity with animal detection and also controls against fraud through verification of animal species used in meat products.
We’ve talked a lot about the food and ingredients that foodproof and BAX solutions cover, but what about the environment and water? The environment and water play a huge role in downstream food safety and quality; outside from the common pathogens and indicator organisms testing (we’ve got those solutions too!), Legionella and other organisms for hygiene screening like Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, and Corynebacterium are a focus for us as well. The microproof assays play a trusted role in detection and quantification of pathogens in environmental and water samples to offer reliable analysis with high sensitivity and specificity.
Get the Hygiena PCR Solution
At Hygiena, we have some great experts (sales, technical specialists, diagnostic support, customer service) that can help you figure out all the combinations of solutions you might need. Here are some final tips to think about while you are looking for solutions for food safety and quality testing:
- PCR is not just for pathogens.
- We consult with you to build the solution that you need; it can include a combination of the brands that we offer.
- Our solutions are more than just an assay; we think about the components that go into testing, like instrumentation, automation, software, extractions and assay targets.
- Not only did we extend our PCR product line, but we have taken the service and software our customers love and extended those to all of our PCR brands.
