Page 34 - FoodFocusThailand No.243 July 2026

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REVOLUTIONIZING PATHOGEN CONTROL

THROUGH RAPID DETECTION TECHNOLOGIES

AND RISK PREDICTION SYSTEMS

In today’s food manufacturing industry, food safety and rapid product distribution are critical to competitiveness.
However, detecting foodborne pathogens in finished products using conventional culture methods, such
as Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7, typically requires 3–7 days to
obtain results. This timeframe no longer aligns with modern food production systems, which increasingly
emphasize proactive environmental monitoring, just-in-time production, and rapid product release.

Modern Rapid Pathogen Detection Technologies integrating antibodies, aptamers, bacteriophages, or DNA
Modern rapid detection technologies aim to reduce testing probes with nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles,
time and simplify sample preparation while improving graphene, quantum dots, and electrochemical sensors. These
accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. These technologies can systems enable rapid detection using small sample volumes,
be categorized into three main groups. and some can connect to smartphones or portable readers.
1. Molecular Biology Technologies They are increasingly used in food plants because they help
• Real-Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a reduce human operational error (Feng et al., 2025).
high-standard method for detecting pathogen DNA through • Lateral Flow Immunoassay (LFA) operates on
nucleic acid amplification and fluorescent signal measurement. principles similar to rapid antigen test kits. It is convenient, fast,
Multiplex PCR assays now enable simultaneous detection of and cost-effective, making it suitable for preliminary screening
multiple pathogens in a single reaction, providing results within on production lines (Younes et al., 2024).
12–24 hours, including enrichment. However, PCR may detect 3. Advanced Genetic Fingerprinting and Metagenomics
DNA from dead cells, which can lead to false-positive results. To Technologies
address this limitation, Reverse Transcription PCR (RT-PCR), • MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry analyzes proteins and
combined with dyes such as Propidium Monoazide (PMA) or biomolecules to rapidly and accurately identify microorganisms
Ethidium Monoazide (EMA), has been developed to distinguish using only small sample volumes. It is widely used in both
viable cells from residual DNA and to improve the accuracy of medical laboratories and the food industry.
risk assessment (Rajapaksha et al., 2019). • Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and Whole
• LAMP (Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification) Genome Sequencing (WGS) can decode the complete
amplifies DNA at a constant, single temperature without genome of microorganisms. These technologies help identify
requiring expensive thermal cyclers. It exhibits high tolerance genetic relationships among isolates from patients, food
to matrix inhibitors commonly found in complex food samples, products, and factory environments, making it possible to
making it a cost-effective option for establishing a compact determine whether they belong to the same strain. They are
molecular laboratory. therefore suitable for surveillance and traceability of pathogens
• CRISPR-Based Detection uses CRISPR/Cas systems, such as L. monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Shiga toxin-
such as Cas12 and Cas13, to detect specific genetic producing E. coli (STEC). Portable testing systems are now
sequences. It is often combined with LAMP to enhance being developed for use in large food plants, particularly for
sensitivity in complex food samples (Azhar et al., 2026). This environmental mapping to identify contamination reservoirs
method is suitable for detecting major pathogens such as and persistent strains in production systems.
Salmonella, Listeria, Vibrio, and E. coli in both food products • Shotgun Metagenomics analyzes genetic material from
and production environments. entire microbial communities in production lines. It can identify
2. Immunological Detection Technologies biofilm-forming microbial reservoirs, detect low-level pathogen
• ELISA and ELFA (Enzyme-Linked Fluorescent Assay) contamination, and reveal viable but non-culturable (VBNC)
rely on specific antibody-antigen interactions. New-generation pathogens that remain alive but cannot grow on culture
biosensors have further improved detection performance by media (Shafi et al., 2026). This technology is particularly

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