The TECRA® Unique™ Salmonella test uses the principle of immunoenrichment to allow rapid detection of Salmonellae in food. A collaborative study was conducted to compare the TECRA Salmonella Unique test with the reference culture method given in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Three food types (milk powder, pepper, and soy flour) were analyzed in Australia and 2 food types (milk chocolate and dried egg) were analyzed in the United States. Forty-one collaborators participated in the study. For each of the 5 foods at each of the 3 levels, a comparison showed no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) in the proportion of positive test samples for Unique and that for the reference method using the Chi-square test for independence with continuity correction.

A collaborative study was conducted to compare a new enrichment procedure for the TECRA® Salmonella Visual Immunoassay (TSVIA) with the reference method given in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (7th Ed.). Three food types (milk powder, pepper, and soy flour) were analyzed in Australia and 3 food types (milk chocolate, dried egg, and raw turkey) were analyzed in the United States. Thirty-eight collaborators participated in the study. The TECRA method was evaluated using both Rappaport-Vassiliadis R10 (RV(R10)) and tetrathionate (TT) broths for selective enrichment. M broth cultures arising from each of the 2 selective enrichment broths were tested in the TSVIA using 2 individual wells, one for each selective broth, and a single well to test the pooled selective enrichment broths. The results for the pooled enrichment broths were reported elsewhere. This study presents the results for the use of single enrichment broths, i.e., RV(R10) only or TT only, with the TSVIA. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed for the pairwise comparison of the proportion of positive samples for either RV(R10) or TT used as a single enrichment broth for the TSVIA with that for the reference method.

A collaborative study was conducted to validate new enrichment methods for the TECRA Listeria Visual Immunoassay (TLVIA). These new methods incorporate a newly formulated medium, TECRA Listeria Enrichment Broth, which does not contain the highly toxic antifungal agent, cycloheximide. The new procedures will provide an alternative to the enrichment procedures described in AOAC Method 995.22. Three food types (raw ground beef, lettuce, and ice cream) were analyzed in the United States, and 2 food types (cooked turkey and cooked fish fillets) were analyzed in Australasia. Thirty collaborators participated in the study, 16 in Australasia and 14 in the United States. With the exception of one batch of ground beef, comparison of the proportion of positive test portions (p ≥ 0.05) showed no significant difference between the TLVIA and the reference method for the 5 foods at 3 inoculation levels. For the one batch of naturally contaminated raw ground beef, the TLVIA gave significantly more confirmed positive results than the reference method.

A validation study was conducted to compare a new modified version of the TECRA Salmonella Visual Immunoassay (Mod. VIA) with the original immunoassay (AOAC Method 989.14) and the reference culture methods (967.25–967.28). The Mod. VIA was supplemented with polyclonal antibodies to Salmonella pullorum and S. galllnarum, and compared favorably with AOAC Method 989.14 in sensitivity, inclusivity, and exclusivity studies. The ability of the Mod. VIA to recover Salmonella from artificially contaminated samples was not significantly different from that of the reference method. It is recommended that the Mod. VIA be adopted as Official First Action.

The TECRA Staphylococcus aureus Visual Immunoassay allows a presumptive positive or negative result for the presence of S. aureus to be obtained within 26 h, in contrast to 4-5 days by traditional cultural methods. Presumptive positive immunoassay results are confirmed by streaking the enrichment broth onto conventional agar media. A validation study was undertaken to compare the TECRA assay with a cultural reference method based on the Bacteriological Analytical Manual (8th Ed.), which is also consistent with U.S. Pharmacopoeia requirements. The products tested included a range of cosmetics (toothpaste, shampoos, conditioners, sunscreens, moisturizers, lip and eye creams) and pharmaceuticals (cough mixtures, laxatives, ulcer treatments, infant formulae, antiseptic cream), as well as some pharmaceutical ingredients. Samples were inoculated with S. aureus at 10-20 cfu/g, and then enriched for 24 h at 35°-37°C at a product-to-sample ratio of 1:100. Two different enrichment broths were used for the study: Tryptone Soya Broth with 4% Tween 80 and Modified Letheen Broth. For both enrichment broths, results of the immunoassay and the reference method showed close correlation. The TECRA S. aureus Visual Immunoassay provides a rapid and convenient alternative to cultural methods and provides advantages to industry, such as greater speed of product and ingredient release and faster tracing of contamination problems. Because the immunoassay may be read either visually or with the aid of a plate reader, there is no need for an initial outlay on capital equipment. However, the assay can be automated if required.