Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/60127
pathogens in tainted foods DNA test identifies New testing device finds pathogens and toxins in produce. by Richard Lehnert use on-site, gives results in about an hour, and costs about a dollar per test. Called the X-Mark, the detection technology is being F there. Two adult brown marmorated stinkbugs were T intercepted at a U.K. airport in 2010 in passenger lug- gage on a flight from the United States, according to a report in the January edition of the British fruit trade magazine The Fruit Grower. The stinkbug was found in Switzerland as early as 2007. Chris Malumphy, senior entomologist at the U.K.'s Food and Environmental Research Agency, says in the article that although the stinkbug could become established there, it would probably be much less of a threat in the U.K.'s cool climate than in the warmer areas of southern Europe. In the United Kingdom, the bug might have just one generation a year, com- pared with five or six in the warmer areas of Asia, where it originated. The spotted wing drosophila has also made it to the United Kingdom, arriving last August in blue - berries exported from Canada, the report states. The fly has not yet been found growing on crops in the United Kingdom, but entomologists there think it's only a matter of time and feel it's important to have controls in place before it becomes established. —G. Warner www.goodfruit.com developed by nanoRETE, a Lansing, Michigan-based company formed to market the invention of a Michigan State University biosystems engineering professor, Dr. Evangelyn Alocilja. Alocilja directs the Nano-Biosensors Laboratory at MSU, and has been working on these kinds of projects since 2000. In 2001, she developed what was called "the electronic nose" that could sniff gases produced by bacte- ria like E. coli 0157:H7 and identify it based on the compo- sition of those gases. For various reasons, that technology was never commercialized. With this new technology, she is a founder of her own company and intends to make sure the product comes to market. She's the company's chief scientific officer. MSU Technologies, the office that manages technol- ogy transfer at MSU, was involved in licensing the tech- nologies to nanoRETE. The company is backed by Michigan Accelerator Fund 1, a Grand Rapids, Michigan, PESTS SNEAK into U.K. ruit or vegetable packers concerned that their produce may be contaminated with unsafe pathogens will soon have a simple screening method they can use to ease or confirm their fears. It's a handheld tool that's said to be easy to investment partnership that invests in Michigan-based early-stage life science and technology companies. X-Mark works on a different principle than the electronic nose. Instead of detect- ing gases emitted by a living organism, this device identifies bacteria from antibody- antigen interaction, their DNA, and other protein biomarkers. Alocilja explained how it might work "Results are generated with fruit. An apple could be swished in distilled water. To this sample, a nano - particle solution coated with a specific antibody would be added, a different anti- body for each pathogen one might want to detect. It is a platform technology capable of testing for E. coli, salmonella, and any other bacteria or toxin. The sample is placed on a chip less than a half-inch in about an hour from receipt of sample to final readout." —Evangelyn Alocilja square and placed into the reader, which gives the result about 40 minutes later. Traditional laboratory testing could take two or three days. "Our unique preparation, extraction and detection protocol enables the entire process to be conducted in the field, with- out significant training," Alocilja said. "Results are generated in about an hour from receipt of sample to final readout, quickly identifying contaminants so that proper and prompt actions can be taken." The device, about the size of a cell phone, is very sensitive, detecting as few as five to ten cells in a milliliter sample. X-Mark technology can be used, she said, to detect other harmful bacteria or toxins, such as anthrax or tuberculosis, and could be used in medical settings as well as in food packing operations. For pathogens in food, testing can be as specific depending on the antibody or it can be a screening method for a broad class of bacteria. Alocilja said the product should come to market in about two years. • TREE SPREADERS wo new pests—the brown marmorated stinkbug and spotted wing drosophila—have snuck into the United Kingdom but are not yet established Lowest possible prices on 4" to 48" nailed or notched spreaders Additional services: We assemble and repair new and old pallets for re-sale NATIONWIDE SHIPPING AVAILABLE! Yakima Specialties, Inc. P: 509.453.0386 F: 509.453.1279 www.yakimaspecialties.com Yakima Specialties Inc. I Non-Profit Agency Hiring Disabled Adults Visa and MasterCard Accepted I 1819 West "J" Street, Yakima, WA GOOD FRUIT GROWER APRIL 1, 2012 43 48 years in business