Danish R&D company Xenogenix has approached the Danish Meat Research Institute (DMRI) to test its new microchip product, designed to detect harmful bacteria in meat.
Scientists at the company applied knowledge gained through detecting genetically altered material in food products and programmed special microchips with the genetic code of several strains of bacteria. When meat juice comes into contact with the chip, it will therefore recognise any bacteria by its genetic code.
If the microchip proves successful in the independent tests, its potential application is huge. Danish meat producers alone test 25,000 samples of pork meat every year, while a further 600,000 tests are conducted on farms every year.
Xenogenix CEO, Keld Andresen, told Politiken: “Instead of waiting several days for the results of a test, you will now know the result within minutes or certainly within a few hours.
“The advantage of this new method is that we do not need to grow samples for a long period of time to achieve sufficient test material, and that we also will be able to test for several bacteria at the same time.”
Meanwhile Flemming Hansen, project manager at DMRI, told the paper: “We definitely believe that this is a realistic project, and we have a great interest in helping to complete this new method, both in terms of practical assistance and in terms of our easy access to the food industry.
“The advantage of this method is not least the very quick response time on a test and the very precise answer, which it supplies. This method can e.g. also ensure that we will be able to stop a batch of meat in time, or ensure that we will be able to act if a process at a producer of food is taking a wrong turn.”
To visit Xenogenix’s website, click here.
www.xenogenix.com
For more information from the DMRI, click here.
www.dmri.com
