This is actually an important topic about what appears to be an important development. Neogen Corporation (Lansing MI) has recently announced the release of their new Soleris optical testing vial. The Soleris gadget/device is important for its advancement in the detection of bacteria, fungus (molds) and yeast in food products otherwise not added in the manufacturing process. Most of these food borne contaminants are significant and can have important - even lethal - consequences on you the consumer.
The device is essentially a test vial - used to determine the presence and reproduction of these types of microbes. We're so out of it that we thought most food producers use mainly Petri dishes and flasks. The device is important because it is said to give a report on Total Viable Counts (TVC) in as little as 6 - 8 hours. It can still take up to 48 hours when testing for other important microorganisms.
It is hoped that this speedy increase will result in less food spoilage for all of us. That's important in world with a growing population and decreasing food production. This should help increase the rate of food production. Right now the test device is for mainly dairy products, it is expected that baked goods and bread makers will have access to the simple test. This should speed up their production and improve product quality for them as well.
One or two catches to the system, however - you need the whole Soleris test system and a few other items for the final results. Neogen reports that traditional methods for detecting significant contaminating yeasts takes from 14.0 to 25.9 hours. That is just for the important yeasts: Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus terreus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
While some of the microorganisms are useful they still can be unwanted and even harmful for some folks. For more on food safety and spoilage please heed the advice given by the USDA on "Molds on Food". Also, please view their YouTube video “Let’s Talk About Mold in Foods” (presented in American Sign Language).
