ISAAA and Partners Feature Salmonella Detection Methods Developed in the Philippines

Researchers, government employees, and students participated in the Pinoy Biotek Seminar: PCR-based detection kit for Salmonella in Meat organized by ISAAA Inc. in partnership with the UP Diliman Institute of Biology. The hybrid event, held on March 12, 2024, was part of ISAAA's Pinoy Biotek project supported by the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotech Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA Biotech).

The hybrid event served as an avenue to promote the technology to researchers and the food industry to help disseminate the technology for possible adoption. It also helped arouse the interest of the general public in the application of a PCR-based detection kit for Salmonella infection in meat. The event was attended by over 400 participants onsite and via Zoom. The event was also presented on Facebook Live and reached about 3,456 individuals.

Dr. Pierangeli Vital, Head of the Biological Research and Services Laboratory at the Natural Sciences Research Institute, discussed the challenges in food safety and offered solutions to address them. Dr. Vital also highlighted that “Everybody has a role to play in keeping food safe.”

Academician Windell Rivera shared about the different technologies used for Salmonella detection. He highlighted their research on a PCR-based detection kit, which shortened the gold standard of 7 days to three days to complete. The method has been proven to be proficient in beef, chicken, animal feeds, and cotton swabs. The research team intends to add more matrices to be fully adopted in testing laboratories. They also developed a LAMP-based detection technology which is currently being transferred to the laboratories of the National Meat Inspection Service and the Bureau of Animal Industry. In 2023, they completed the DA Biotech-funded project focusing on the utility of next-generation sequencing of Salmonella strains from food chains in Metro Manila. Dr. Rivera also mentioned that they hope that there will be a more widespread utility of the next-generation sequencing technology and better national guidelines and standards for research.

Dr. Homer Pantua discussed the technology development and commercialization pathways that researchers and organizations must go through. Dr. Pantua highlighted that collaboration between various stakeholders is essential, and regulatory requirements and compliance standards are needed to ensure safety and legality.

For more information, watch the event on demand from the ISAAA Webinars.