CALGARY, ALBERTA — Vacci-Test's FoodChek-E.Coli has been certified by the AOAC Research Institute, the approval body for all U.S. food-safety tests, as a Performance Tested method for detecting E.coli O157 in raw ground beef. According to the company, this rapid and accurate new test is seen as a technological breakthrough for meat-processors. The approval clears the way for FoodChek-E.Coli to be sold as a certified food-safety test in the United States and internationally.

The new test is reportedly 50 times more sensitive than PCR methods. By utilizing magnetic nanotechnology and an inexpensive easy-to-use magnetic reader, it provides the most sensitive and quantitative result in a fraction of the time required by conventional testing, the company added.

"We have now received confirmation that our state-of-the-art technology can easily be implemented in routine food safety testing," said Dr. Richard J. Flanagan, chief scientific officer. "We also know that its extraordinary sensitivity will provide highly accurate results in much shorter testing times, enabling meat-processors to quickly and confidently release products into the marketplace with less likelihood of product recalls."

Vacci-Test is a privately held Canadian corporation based in Calgary, Alberta specializing in the development and commercialization of proprietary food-safety tests, based on magnetic nanotechnology, for the rapid, accurate detection and quantitative measurement of pathogens in food.