Equivalence of Assurance (R) Gold Enzyme Immunoassay for visual or instrumental detection of motile and nonmotile Salmonella in all foods to AOAC culture method: Collaborative study

Six foods representative of a wide variety of processed, dried powder proce ssed, and raw food types were analyzed by the Assurance(R) Gold Salmonella Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) and AOAC INTERNATIONAL culture method. Paired samp les of each food type were simultaneously analyzed; one sample by the Assur ance method and one by the AOAC culture method. The results for Assurance m ethod were read visually and instrumentally with a microplate reader. A tot al of 24 laboratories representing federal government agencies and private industry, in the United States and Canada, participated in this collaborati ve study, Food types were inoculated with species of Salmonella with the ex ception of raw ground chicken, which was naturally contaminated. No statist ical differences (p < 0.05) were observed between Assurance Gold Salmonella EIA with either visual or instrumental interpretation and the AOAC culture method for any inoculation level of any food type or naturally contaminate d food, The Assurance visual and instrumental options of reading sample rea ctions produced the same results for 1277 of the 1296 sample and controls a nalyzed.