Environmental Listeria test

Arrow Scientific has announced the 3M Petrifilm environmental Listeria plate method, designed to detect Listeria in food processing plants. The plates are claimed to cost less than traditional methods and use the Petrifilm design.

It delivers results within 28 hours of sampling. With traditional off-site testing, Listeria has a three to five-day head start while environmental samples are processed.

Sample preparation is fast and easy. Interpretation is similar to other 3M Petrifilm plates and there are no complicated techniques or training requirements.

Traditional Listeria testing methods provide a single detected/not detected result. The new plates can provide this type of qualitative result or a semi-quantitative result showing relative levels. They can also provide quantitative showing the actual Listeria count.

The test allows food plants to develop baselines, monitor trends and keep tighter surveillance on hot spots.