Effectively identify microorganisms and minimize damage to your product, reputation, and bottom line.

Our Food Science Center is equipped to handle large numbers of samples and identifications, providing you with expert assistance to avoid wasted product, shelf-life problems and potential recalls.

Global Challenge

The presence of spoilage organisms in products can decrease product shelf-life, cause organoleptic issues, and render foods unsuitable for consumption. Nearly one-quarter of the world’s food supply, according to conservative estimates, is lost to decomposition every year. 

To help companies offset economic losses caused by food spoilage, the Silliker Food Science Center provides state-of-the-art microbial identification studies. From starter cultures to product development, we can help you pinpoint processing deficiencies that enable microbial growth, identify highly elusive organisms, and decrease costly incidences of contamination.

Unidentified spoilage organisms or unusual strains of pathogens can signal serious problems in your food safety and quality system. Using a variety of methods, our researchers can identify specific microorganisms, ranging from yeast and molds to pathogenic bacteria. We can work with you to locate their source of origin, and help you pin down and correct deficiencies in the following aspects of your quality assurance program:

• Thermal processing and cooling systems
• Critical control points
• Hygiene monitoring systems

As part of our continued commitment to advanced technologies, we employ gene sequencing technology to provide you with accurate data. Recognized industry-wide as the “gold standard” in culture identification, gene sequencing is based on the phylogenetic analysis on rDNA sequences.

Gene sequencing offers a number of distinct advantages over older identification methods, including:

• Shorter turnaround time for yeast and mold identification compared to traditional ID methods
• Increased accuracy and reproducibility over traditional phenotypic identification methods
• Higher specificity than traditional phenotypic ID methods
• Identification of organisms by genus and species

Through unrivaled expertise, our research professionals can help product developers and quality professionals resolve spoilage issues and safeguard products.
Contact Silliker Food Science Center Client Services to find out how our professionals can help you assure the safety of your product or process by designing studies to improve your food safety and quality programs.