Dive Brief:
- European scientists have developed a sensor they say can detect the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on surfaces at facilities that cook, process, prepare, or store food.
- The project, dubbed Biolisme, was born in 2009 among researchers at England's University of Southampton. A prototype was finished this year in France and is undergoing field tests.
- The sensor requires next-to-no expertise to operate, making it suitable for use on site by a wide variety of food industry workers. If Listeria is present in a sample, the device will glow.
Dive Insight:
There are many reasons Listeria was included on our list of the "five nastiest foodborne threats" -- particularly the 20% mortality rate associated with listeriosis.
Thus anything that can detect the pathogen, and reduce the likelihood that it spreads into the population, is news worth celebrating.