Recent developments in rapid multiplexed bioanalytical methods for foodborne pathogenic bacteria detection

Foodborne illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria represent a widespread and growing problem to public health, and there is an obvious need for rapid detection of food pathogens. Traditional culture-based techniques require tedious sample workup and are time-consuming. It is expected that new and more rapid methods can replace current techniques. To enable large scale screening procedures, new multiplex analytical formats are being developed, and these allow the detection and/or identification of more than one pathogen in a single analytical run, thus cutting assay times and costs. We review here recent advancements in the field of rapid multiplex analytical methods for foodborne pathogenic bacteria. A variety of strategies, such as multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays, microarray- or multichannel-based immunoassays, biosensors, and fingerprint-based approaches (such as mass spectrometry, electronic nose, or vibrational spectroscopic analysis of whole bacterial cells), have been explored. In addition, various technological solutions have been adopted to improve detectability and to eliminate interferences, although in most cases a brief pre-enrichment step is still required. This review also covers the progress, limitations and future challenges of these approaches and emphasizes the advantages of new separative techniques to selectively fractionate bacteria, thus increasing multiplexing capabilities and simplifying sample preparation procedures.