Abstract
The continuous contamination of foods with L. monocytogenes, highlights the need for additional controls in the food industry. The verification of food processing plants is key to avoid cross-contaminations, and to assure the safety of the food products. In this study, a new methodology for the detection of L. monocytogenes on food contact surfaces was developed and evaluated. It combines Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) with the lateral flow (LF) naked-eye detection. Different approaches for the recovery of the bacteria from the surface, the enrichment step and downstream analysis by RPA-LF were tested and optimized. The results were compared with a standard culture-based technique and qPCR analysis. Sampling procedure with sponges was more efficient for the recovery of the bacteria than a regular swab. A 24 h enrichment in ONE broth was needed for the most sensitive detection of the pathogen. By RPA-LF, it was possible to detect 1.1 pg/µL of pure L. monocytogenes DNA, and the complete methodology reached a LoD50 of 4.2 CFU/cm2 and LoD95 of 18.2 CFU/cm2. These results are comparable with the culture-based methodology and qPCR. The developed approach allows for a next-day detection without complex equipment and a naked-eye visualization of the results.