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eResearch
On-line Technical Bulletin • Volume 8 Issue 2 — October, 2010

In this issue of eResearch...

• Silliker Expands Contract Research and Development Programs to Improve Nutrition
• Food Science Center Presents Technical Posters at AOAC INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting
• Flowers Named 2010 Recipient of International Association for Food Protection's
Maurice Weber Laboratorian Award

Silliker Expands Contract Research and

Development Programs to Improve Nutrition

Silliker, the leading provider of food safety and nutrition services, is reinforcing its Contract Research and Innovation operations to heighten collaborations with food companies and aid them in the development of new and innovative programs.

"Companies face the parallel challenges of producing safe products under increasingly complex and reinforced government regulations and supplying nutritious products to promote and improve public health worldwide. The expansion of our Contract Research and Innovation services correlates with the accelerated development and commercialization of new products by food companies to address and meet these challenges," said Silliker President and CEO Philippe Sans.

Recognized worldwide for its scientific expertise, Silliker assists many leading companies in the development and delivery of a broad spectrum of innovative products. In recent years, Silliker has acquired three leading European research organizations – Adriant, Atlangene and more recently Biofortis – to complement the services offered by the company's North American-based Food Science Center.

Staffed by professionals specializing in several research and development fields, including product and process validation studies, probiotics, human clinical nutrition trials and sensory analysis, Silliker has significantly diversified its scope of services to help companies innovate products faster and more efficiently.

The driving impetus behind the Silliker expanded Contract Research and Innovation focus is steeped in the tradition of its parent company, Institut MŽrieux. With over 100 years of service, Institut MŽrieux specializes in industrial microbiology and employs over 10,000 people dedicated to improving global public health.

Together, this medical framework and food safety, quality and nutrition network of experts, enables Silliker to offer comprehensive global pubic health solutions to science-based problems. Silliker is committed to helping companies innovate their products, differentiate their products from competitors, and substantiate their products' benefits in the global marketplace.

In related news, the company announced Dr. Michel du Peloux, MD, MBA, has joined Silliker as Senior Vice-President of the new Global Business Unit dedicated to Nutrition and Health. Dr. du Peloux has extensive experience in the field of nutrition, self-medication and OTC with Novartis, Merck Consumer Health Care as CEO for France, and most recently as the Corporate Vice President of R&D & Operations for Merck Consumer Health Care in Germany.

To request electronic copies of our new Health & Nutrition, Product Validation, Method Verification, and Process Validation literature, please indicate your interest on the reader's response card.

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Food Science Center Presents Technical Posters

at AOAC INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting

Scientists from the Silliker Food Science Center, South Holland, IL, presented two technical posters at the recently concluded 124th Annual Meeting of AOAC International in Orlando, FL. The following provides an overview of those presentations:

Title: Limit of Detection Study for Listeria monocytogenes on Environmental Sponges Using the Idaho Technology R.A.P.I.D. LT Food Security System and Dupont Qualicon BAX^® System Listeria monocytogenes Assay

Abstract: Idaho Technology R.A.P.I.D. LT Food Security System and DuPont Qualicon BAX^® System (ABAX) are rapid methods to detect the presence of Listeria from environmental samples. The R.A.P.I.D. LT utilizes a single primary enrichment incubated for 24 h and the ABAX method involves a 48 h two stage enrichment protocol. The objective of this study was to evaluate the limit of detection (LOD) of the R.A.P.I.D. LT and ABAX to detect L. monocytogenes on environmental sponges using each method's standard protocol. Additionally, universal pre-enrichment broth (UPB) was evaluated as a primary enrichment with the R.A.P.I.D. LT FSS. The USDA MLG served as the reference method. Three strains of L. monocytogenes were evaluated separately. Each independent trial was performed on 5 replicates that were serially diluted to extinction. From these 5 inoculated replicates of serially diluted samples, a 5-tube Most Probable Number (MPN) code was determined and the results used to compare the LOD between the R.A.P.I.D. LT assay enriched in either BLEB or UPB, Qualicon BAX^® L. monocytogenes assay and the USDA cultural reference method. For each strain of L. monocytogenes evaluated, there was no difference in the sensitivity of the Idaho Technology R.A.P.I.D. LT assay and the Qualicon BAX^® L. monocytogenes assay as compared to the USDA cultural reference method.

Title: Limit of Detection Study for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Refrigerated Cookie Dough Using the Qualicon BAX^® System E. coli O157:H7 MP Assay

Abstract: In 2009, refrigerated cookie dough was related with the possible presence of the pathogenic E. coli O157:H7. In order to incorporate additional microbial testing into the overall food safety plan, validation of methodology for testing of the raw dough was necessary. The objective was to evaluate the limit of detection (LOD) of the BAX^® E. coli O157:H7 MP assay to detect E. coli O157:H7 in 25 g and composited 375 g samples of cookie dough. The FDA BAM method served as the reference method. E. coli O157:H7 was inoculated into cookie dough and was stored to allow for adaptation. Portions of the inoculated product were transferred to pre-warmed enrichment media and homogenized to achieve ca.103 CFU/g. From this homogenized sample, appropriate serial dilutions were prepared in pre-warmed enrichment broth, incorporating uninoculated product so that a series of seven total dilutions were prepared (5 replicates per dilution). The BAX^® E. coli O157:H7 MP method was executed according to manufacturer's instructions; a separate set of samples were prepared and tested according to the FDA BAM method. A 5-tube MPN calculation was performed and the results were used to compare the LOD of the BAX^® and FDA BAM methods. There was no difference in the sensitivity of the BAX^® method, with either the 25 g or the composited 375 g samples, as compared to the FDA BAM method.

To request copies of these posters in a PDF format, please indicate your interest on the reader's response card.

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News & Updates:

Flowers Named 2010 Recipient of International

Association for Food Protection's Maurice Weber

Laboratorian Award

Russell S. Flowers, Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Silliker Group Corp., was named the 2010 recipient of the Maurice Weber Laboratorian Award by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). IAFP cited his "outstanding contributions in the laboratory and commitment to the development of innovative and practical analytical approaches in support of food safety" in honoring him with the prestigious award.

Dr. Flowers (center) accepts the award from Fred Weber, representing Weber Scientific, the sponsor of the award, and IAFP Secretary Katie Swanson.

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