The detection of foodborne pathogens by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Nucleic acid probes are being used increasingly in the food industry. These can be relatively insensitive but a new technique for amplification of a target sequence of nucleic acid has the potential of being rapid, sensitive and specific. The method, termed polymerase chain reaction or PCR, utilises a thermostable DNA polymerase from the bacterium Thermus aquaticus. Following thermal denaturation of double stranded DNA, small oligonucleotides, termed primers, are annealed to the single strands of DNA and these determine the starting point for replication of the DNA by the polymerase enzyme. Applications for food microbiology are being researched but problems have been encountered due to the complex nature of many foodstuffs.