Evaluation of sample disruption techniques for high-throughput extraction of live Escherichia coli and recombinant DNA from spinach

The ability to detect pathogens throughout the food supply chain is an important component of food safety research. Just as the adoption of high-throughput methods such as PCR has expedited molecular detection of microorganisms vs more traditional time-consuming and labor-intensive methods, bead milling allows for an efficient and rapid sample prep method in foods, such as spinach. In this application note, both the bead mill and rotor-stator homogenizers were shown to fully process spinach samples spiked with recombinant E. coli while maintaining their viability. Both methods delivered a 76% cell recovery and a PCR detection limit of 1x10^-6 CFUs/mL. Thus, the protocol and methods outlined may help expedite pathogen detection without necessitating a longer pre-enrichment step.

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.