ABSTRACT
Foodborne illnesses exact a heavy toll around the world on a daily basis, with millions of people adversely affected annually. Many of these infected individuals succumb to the lethal effects of microbial pathogens, toxins, and abiotic agents, that is, chemicals. This chapter provides an overview of the molecular-based methods used to detect, isolate, and characterize foodborne pathogens that are currently used in food analyses, or have been published in the scientific literature. PCR has been used to detect pathogenic microbes since the 1990s due to its strengths: specificity, relative ease of use, automation, and acceptance and familiarity worldwide. Digital PCR has been developed to be performed on several different platforms, such as microfluidic or droplet systems. Advancement in molecular-based technology since the days of DNA/colony hybridization has certainly impacted the pace and accuracy of detecting and identifying microbial pathogens in foods.
