ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on current quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods that are available for detecting and quantifying microbial pathogens of interest in meat and meat products. DNA isolation is the first critical step of qPCR procedures to detect and/or quantify pathogenic microorganisms in meat and meat products. Although most of the reported qPCR methods include buffered peptone water as culture medium for enrichment, it has been demonstrated that oxoid noel enrichment (ONE) Broth Salmonella medium increases the growth of Salmonella in the presence of competitive microbial population in meat products compared with buffered peptone water. Recently, several qPCR protocols have been reported as accurate, specific, and sensitive methods to detect pathogenic microorganisms of concern in meat and meat products. The protocols could be used to detect live pathogenic microorganisms in meat and meat products, which could allow for the use of corrective actions during processing in the meat industry.
