Bio-Rad Laboratories has launched the iQ-Check Prep system, a liquid-handling platform that automates sample preparation for real-time PCR-based food pathogen testing.
The iQ-Check Prep system was designed to facilitate the wide-scale movement toward the use of molecular approaches for pathogen detection in food laboratories, and is optimized for use with the full range of Bio-Rad’s validated real-time PCR food pathogen detection kits, the company said.
The system enables walk-away automation of DNA extraction and PCR plate setup, running up to four different iQ-Check assays simultaneously and performing 500 tests in one 8-hour shift, Bio-Rad said. In addition, the platform improves traceability with barcodes and LIMS integration, provides real-time monitoring of each pipette step with liquid-level sensing, and uses internationally validated protocols, according to the company.
Mo Bio Laboratories has launched the PowerViral Environmental RNA/DNA Isolation Kit to isolate viral and bacterial nucleic acids from challenging samples such as stool, waste water, biosolids, and gut material.
This is the latest product in Mo Bio's Power line of kits that contain its patented Inhibitor Removal Technology. This technology eliminates inhibitory substances often contained in stool and waste water — such as undigested plant material in the gut or heme compounds from lysed red blood cells, abundant in stool — resulting in pure nucleic acids that are ready to use in PCR, cDNA synthesis, RT-qPCR, and more, Mo Bio said. The kits are also available with glass bead tubes to optimize lysis of solid samples and bacterial cells, or without bead tubes for isolation of viral nucleic acids from liquid samples.
3M Food Safety said this week that its 3M Molecular Detection Assay Salmonella has been validated through AOAC International as a "First Action Official Method of Analysis" for the detection of Salmonella in selected foods.
3M introduced its Salmonella detection assay in December 2011 along with the 3M Molecular Detection System, a fully integrated nucleic acid testing platform based on isothermal DNA amplification and bioluminescence detection.
The assay received certification from the AOAC Research Institute as a Performance Tested Method in April 2012.