May 19, 2021 02:23 AM EDT
(Photo : Wikimedia Commons)
According to the researchers, the finding would assist food facilities in identifying new development niches that might have been ignored previously, thus enhancing food safety.
New Listeria Species
(Photo : Wikimedia Commons)
Catharine R. Carlin, a doctoral student in food science, said, This study expands the set of listeria organisms controlled in food processing settings. Expanding the awareness base to consider the diversity of listeria would save the agricultural food industry time and money by preventing infection, explaining false positives, and preventing foodborne outbreaks.
L. immobilis, one of the new species, lacked motility or the ability to run. Listeria is a fast-moving organism. The motility of listeria closely related to L. monocytogenes, a well-known foodborne pathogen, was believed to be widespread among scientists, and it was used as a central measure in listeria detection methods. According to Carli