Listeria Right Now™: top questions about its technology

Neogen has received a lot of questions since introducing the Listeria Right Now™ system this past July at the International Association for Food Protection’s annual meeting. The system is an environmental Listeria test that features molecular-level accuracy with no need for enrichment. The total time to result? Under one hour.

We’ve seen many different ways customers have been using the product, and we’ve heard a lot of questions about what the system does, how it does it, and how it can be used. We’ve created space on our website for sharing questions and responses from Neogen experts. Below are some of the most popular questions and responses.

How should I use ANSR Listeria Right Now?

The Listeria Right Now assay adds value anywhere a faster response is beneficial. Here are some of the innovative ways our customers tell us they use it:

• As a process control.
• To perform corrective actions much more quickly to prevent an issue from becoming a serious problem.
• To perform investigations following a positive test result.
• To enhance their vectoring process, including testing transitory items such as containers, pallets and shoes.
• To bring Listeria testing into their facility without the concern of growing pathogens.
• To commission and implement new equipment more quickly. This process can take days with traditional Listeria testing, but can be done with Listeria Right Now in less than one shift.
• To inspect and validate areas following construction events.
• To test tools and other maintenance items to minimize cross-contamination.

How well does ANSR Listeria Right Now work with sanitizers and cleaners?

We’ve tested the ANSR Listeria Right Now system with all of the popular sanitizers and cleaners and found no degradation on performance in the presence of residual sanitizers and cleaners.

Does ANSR Listeria Right Now detect dead cells?

Yes, the ANSR Listeria Right Now system does not discriminate between live and dead cells. However, since the target for the Listeria Right Now assay is ribosomal RNA (rRNA), which degrades faster than DNA after cell death, there is less of a probability of replicating rRNA from dead cells than with traditional PCR assays.

Is ANSR Listeria Right Now validated using environmental sponges?

The ANSR Listeria Right Now system is only validated using the included sampling swabs. The use of sponges is under review, but has not been validated yet. If a sponge protocol is established, there will likely be changes to the current test procedure.

Got more questions? Get in touch via our website, or see if your question is covered in our expanded Frequently Asked Questions on the same page.