scienze della vita roma, 22-23 ottobre 2012 - SIF

VALIDATION OF THE MBS METHOD
1 Giorgia Bottini, 1 Francesca Losito, 1 Alyexandra Arienzo, 2 Francesca Romana Priolisi, 2 Alberto
Mari and 1 Giovanni Antonini
1 Department of Biology, University Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy
2 MBS srl, 00131 Rome, Italy
Corresponding Author: Prof. Giovanni Antonini, Department of Biology, University Roma Tre,
00146 Rome, Italy, Tel: +39-3290570913; E-mail: giovanni.antonini@uniroma3.it
Food borne pathogens are a growing concern for human safety. In this context, MBS srl (a spin-off
of Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy) has developed an alternative method, called Micro Biological
Survey (MBS) method. The MBS method is a rapid alternative method for the detection and
selective counting of bacteria in agro-food, in water and in environmental samples. It is based on
colorimetric survey performed in mono-use disposable reaction vials in which samples can be
inoculated without any preliminary treatment (eg. homogenization, dilution, etc.); the greater the
number of bacteria in the sample, the faster the color of the reaction vial changes. The objective of
this study was the primary validation, in accord with ISO 16140 (2003), of the qualitative Micro
Biological Survey (MBS) method for Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. and the quantitative
Biological Survey (MBS) method for Total Viable Count (TVC), Escherichia coli (E. coli),
Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus. Validation aims to compare the results obtained
with an alternative method, in this case the MBS method, with the results obtained with the
reference method. To verify the equivalence between the two methods different parameters were
analyzed: selectivity, relative accuracy, relative specificity and relative sensitive for the qualitative
validation of the MBS method for Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp.; selectivity, linearity and
accuracy for the quantitative validation of the MBS method for Enterobacteriaceae and
Staphylococcus aureus. The validation has shown that the MBS method gives similar results and is
in agreement with the reference methods. The MBS method can therefore represent a worthy aid in
food screening without replacing the analysis carried out with traditional methods which are very
precise though often long and complex.
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