5’-Nuclease PCR Assays for Foodborne Pathogen Detection using the Agilent-Stratagene Mx3000P Q-PCR System

Bacteriological culturing has traditionally been used to detect microbial pathogens in food, and this technique is still in widespread use today. However, the time-consuming and low-throughput nature of culture-based detection methods warrant their replacement by more rapid methods based on biomolecular analysis, like the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR, predicated on DNA synthesis and amplification, is an established, core technique in molecular biology, microbiology, diagnostics, genetics and environmental science applications.