Method and composition for detecting bacterial contamination in food products
First Claim
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1. A method for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of bacteria in a food product, comprising the steps of:
- providing a bacterial growth medium formulated for food testing, which comprises a first enzyme substrate for a phosphatase, a second enzyme substrate for a glycosidase, and a third enzyme substrate for a peptidase, wherein said first, second and third enzyme substrates cause or produce an identical type of detectable signal when hydrolyzed by their respective enzymes;
inoculating said medium with said food product and incubating said medium under conditions suitable for bacterial growth for a period of time; and
, detecting or measuring the identical type of detectable signal as an indication of the presence or the concentration of bacteria in said food product.
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Abstract
This invention relates to a method for detecting the existence or measuring the concentration of total viable bacteria in a test sample from a food product. A medium is provided which contains three or more different enzyme substrates each having a nutrient moiety and a detectable moiety linked together. When a substrate is hydrolyzed by a bacterial enzyme to create a separate detectable moiety, it causes or produces a detectable signal. These substrates produce detectable signals when any one of a phosphatase enzyme, a glycosidase enzyme or a peptidase enzyme is present in the medium.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of bacteria in a food product, comprising the steps of:
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providing a bacterial growth medium formulated for food testing, which comprises a first enzyme substrate for a phosphatase, a second enzyme substrate for a glycosidase, and a third enzyme substrate for a peptidase, wherein said first, second and third enzyme substrates cause or produce an identical type of detectable signal when hydrolyzed by their respective enzymes;
inoculating said medium with said food product and incubating said medium under conditions suitable for bacterial growth for a period of time; and
,detecting or measuring the identical type of detectable signal as an indication of the presence or the concentration of bacteria in said food product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of bacteria in a food product, comprising the steps of:
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providing a bacterial growth medium formulated for food testing, which comprises a first enzyme substrate for a glycosidase and a second enzyme substrate for a peptidase, wherein said first and second enzyme substrates cause or produce an identical type of detectable signal when hydrolyzed by their respective enzymes;
inoculating said medium with said food product and incubating said medium under conditions suitable for bacterial growth for a period of time; and
,detecting or measuring the identical type of detectable signal as an indication of the presence or the concentration of bacteria in said food product. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 41)
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- 21. A bacterial growth medium formulated for food testing, comprising a first enzyme substrate for a phosphatase, a second enzyme substrate for a glycosidase, and a third enzyme substrate for a peptidase, wherein said first, second and third enzyme substrates cause or produce an identical type of detectable signal when hydrolyzed by their respective enzymes.
- 29. A bacterial growth medium formulated for food testing, comprising a first enzyme substrate for a glycosidase and a second enzyme substrate for a peptidase, wherein said first and second enzyme substrates cause or produce an identical type of detectable signal when hydrolyzed by their respective enzymes.
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38. A method for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of eukaryotic microbes in a food product, comprising the steps of:
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providing a growth medium formulated for food testing, which comprises a first enzyme substrate for a phosphatase, a second enzyme substrate for a glycosidase, and a third enzyme substrate for a peptidase wherein said first, second and third enzyme substrates cause or produce an identical type of detectable signal when hydrolyzed by their respective enzymes;
inoculating said medium with said food product and incubating said medium under conditions suitable for microbial growth for a period of time; and
,detecting or measuring the identical type of detectable signal as an indication of the presence or the concentration of eukaryotic microbes in said food product. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40)
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Specification