To watch a product demo, click on the Alden logo above. Video source: Alden

Kansas City, Mo.-based biotechnology company Alden has utilized “internet of things” technology to create a speedy solution for microbe testing that digitizes results and provides much-needed transparency into every step of the testing workflow. The suspended simultaneous sandwich assay (SSSA) is a convenient device that fits in the palm of one’s hand, Alden said.

“At Alden, we’ve made it our mission to support a safer, healthier world by modernizing the way we test for dangerous microbes in the food we eat,” said Austin Gray, Alden’s chief operating officer. “It’s incredibly exciting to bring these new technologies to life.”

Safeguarding meat and poultry products for consumers is time sensitive, and traditional testing modalities take several days to produce results, the company said.

According to Alden, the current most-used method for detecting the presence of pathogens like E. coli is polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. The company said third-party laboratory studies have confirmed the Alden platform to work “as well as or better” than PCR.

“The AOAC Research Institute Performance Tested Methods (PTM) Program recently certified Alden’s S1 for E. coli O157 testing method for E. coli O157 (including H7) detection in ground beef (375 g and 25 g) and beef trim (375 g) (PTM #042401),” the company said. “Comparing the SSSA approach to the USDA/FSIS Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook (5C.03) and the ISO Technical Standard 13136:2012 PCR reference methods, the PTM program found ‘no statistically significant difference from the reference methods.’”

Alden said compared to other traditional testing solutions, its portable onsite SSSA technology is the safest for use within a production environment because “personnel, product and equipment have zero risk of being exposed to potentially harmful control pathogens.”

Alden’s SSSA technology works by placing a small sample volume into the cuvette containing the SSSA.

Next, nanoparticles, proprietary coatings and custom ratios are used to simultaneously capture and detect targeted bacteria, resulting in a visible change, the company explained.

“This test marks a pivotal moment for the food and agriculture supply chain because we’ve decreased time-to-result from a few days to a few hours — so we’re saving our customers time, lowering their costs, improving their operations, and dramatically empowering them to manage and mitigate risk within their operations,” said Elijah Sharpe, founder and CEO at Alden. “Our testing platform is the first of its kind, and it’s the ideal solution for food industry professionals who need to spend less time analyzing results and more time taking action.”

This article is an excerpt from the August 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Food Safety feature and more in the digital edition here.