QS5 platform enables a wide set of
molecular analyses critical for food safety, environmental monitoring, and
microbial ecology research. The equipment enhances LSU AgCenter’s research
capacity on food microbiology and food safety by introducing advanced molecular
technique that enhances precise and sensitive pathogen detection and
enumeration, supports predictive modeling of pathogen survival under
agricultural conditions, provides molecular verification of antimicrobial
treatment efficacy, expands capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration (food
science, nutrition and health, plant, environmental and soil sciences, and
animal and aquaculture sciences). And most importantly, strengthens student
training in molecular food safety and microbiology. Key analytical strengths of
the QS5 include:
- Foodborne pathogen detection and quantification
Cycle threshold (Ct/Cq) value provides sensitive and quantitative detection of foodborne pathogen DNA/RNA, enabling rapid detection and enumeration of pathogens including, but not limited to, Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli O157:H7 in soil, water, food processing and produce surfaces, and variety of food matrices. It allows high sensitivity to detect pathogen at low-level contamination, which is a common scenario in most food products.
- High throughput quantitative PCR (qPCR) and multiplexing
The 384‑well block format greatly increases throughput for field-based food safety studies enabling simultaneous analysis of multiple treatments, replicates and sampling time points. It supports lower reaction volumes, improving cost efficiency while enabling large sample batches. SYBR Green and TaqMan chemistry supports multiplexing upto 6 targets in 384-well format with broad dye compatibility for advanced assay design. Multiplex TaqMan detection allows simultaneous detection of multiple genes such as virulence markers, stress-response genes, or internal controls.
- Gene expression and stress response studies
Gene expression profiling enables mechanistic understanding of how thermal; UV, sanitizer or other antimicrobial treatments alter bacterial stress-response pathways. Therefore, QS5 is suitable for profiling pathogen virulence genes, microbial stress responses in food matrices, and host-microbe interactions.
- Environmental and agricultural microbiology
Agronomic practices, such as the quality of irrigation water used, the use of soil amendments, and post‑harvest handling, can significantly influence the microbial safety of foods grown in the field. This equipment enables accurate assessment of pathogen presence and microbial loads in water, soil, compost, food, and plant samples, thereby supporting research that advances food safety and environmental quality and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Instructional enhancement (undergraduate and graduate training):
Integrated into NFS 4162 Food Microbiology laboratory courses to provide hands‑on training in molecular diagnostics, compare against traditional culturing methods, ensuring students gain experience with current diagnostic practices used in the food industry. Training students on qPCR prepares them for careers in regulatory agencies, food industry labs, biotechnology firms and academic research.
