ABSTRACT
With a history of development and practical application now spanning more than a decade, DNA probe-based methods have been established as powerful tools for use in the microbiological examination of foods. Where such methods were once considered esoteric and experimental, they are now used routinely in hundreds of laboratories worldwide in the assessment of raw materials and finished food products for quality and safety. Probebased methods have proven to be especially useful in the qualitative deter mination of pathogenic bacteria in foods, particularly in situations where a high degree of specificity is required.
