November 4, 2022

The WGCIT Food Safety Cohort

The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology wants to acknowledge and thank the original eight members of its Food Safety Cohort, who have been working with the center on cutting edge solutions to food safety issues.

WGCIT Executive Director Dennis Donohue said each of these companies has invested their time and resources to work on some of the toughest food safety issues in the produce space. Following is a brief description of each company and the work they are doing in the food safety sector. (The company descriptions were provided by the firms or extracted from their websites.)

En Solución provides an affordable, chemical-free method for improving food safety and prolonging product shelf-life. The company was launched using grants for innovative research from the USDA and FDA. The scientifically validated technology infuses water with ozone nanobubbles to clean food products and food contact surfaces via application as a spray to the surface of the product or directly to the wash water where the product is immersed.

 

PathogenDx has introduced EnviroX-F—environmental monitoring that doesn’t require sample enrichment. Results are available in a single 8-hour shift, with the flexibility to test for multiple threats at once to further drive business efficiencies. With its AOAC certification, EnviroX-F makes it possible to test for Salmonella, Listeria or both, with the flexibility to speciate for L. mono as well.

 

Pathotrak is revolutionizing food safety by reducing the detection time of foodborne pathogens from one to two days to six hours or less. Producers can get pathogen results before shipping to avoid outbreaks and costly recalls. It’s the only USDA and FDA compliant innovation in enrichment. It’s compatible with most current tests and seamlessly fits into producer and lab workflows. Testing Ground Laboratories, located in Salinas, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz., has received the first ISO certification to use the Pathotrak’s AOAC accredited technology and deliver Salmonella and STEC detection in leafy greens results in an expedited manner.

 

Priority Sampling was founded in 2016 to assist a growing need for the leafy greens farming community—collecting plant tissue samples for pre-harvest pathogen testing. The company is working to accelerate the rate at which samples are collected and can begin the testing process.

 

Reveam designs, manufactures and operates proprietary high-energy electron accelerators (E-beam) and furnishes comprehensive integrated logistics and information services. As a leading developer and operator of E-beam food treatment systems, it ensures safety and quality by treating fruits and vegetables for all types of pathogens and pests. Its patented electron beam system significantly extends shelf life and reduces pathogens without harming taste, color, odor, texture or the environment.

 

SnapDNA is working to provide tools that food safety professionals need to reduce the number and the severity of outbreaks, lower production cost, and provide for fresher, safer food. It claims to have the first self-contained, on-site analysis designed to replace food pathogen lab tests. Results are available in 60 minutes and hundreds of samples can be analyzed per day. Unlike lab tests, SnapDNA provides quantitative data to reduce the time to find contaminations from months to days, enabling predictive analytics to help prevent outbreaks.

 

TeraBAT is introducing a new diagnostic technology empowering users to rapidly and accurately detect food and crop borne pathogens before they can do irreparable harm. This new rapid diagnostic system, ERS-Dx, is designed to be deployed in the field at the point-of-threat. The system is capable of detecting live pathogens (such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella) and other dangerous microorganisms faster than any existing modality of comparable accuracy. This new approach is based on the detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as biomarkers for recognizing living organisms.

 

Yarok Microbio is offering fast, accurate testing kits with proprietary reagents and bioanalytical software, used with a reliable set of off-the-shelf lab tools. Yarok provides results in as fast as 45 minutes instead of days, with in-shift Absence final assessment (i.e. 6 hrs. for Salmonella, instead of 5 days) allowing farmers, manufacturers, and retailers to prevent damage, thanks to accurate test results in unparalleled time.