Flow cytometry applications in the food industry

Abstract

Flow cytometry has become a valuable tool in food microbiology. By analysing large numbers of cells individually using light-scattering and fluorescence measurements, this technique reveals both cellular characteristics and the levels of cellular components. Flow cytometry has been developed to rapidly enumerate microorganisms; to distinguish between viable, metabolically active and dead cells, which is of great importance in food development and food spoilage; and to detect specific pathogenic microorganisms by conjugating antibodies with fluorochromes, which is of great use in the food industry. In addition, high-speed multiparametric data acquisition, analysis and cell sorting, which allow other characteristics of individual cells to be studied, have increased the interest of food microbiologists in this technique. This mini-review gives an overview of the principles of flow cytometry and examples of the application of this technique in the food industry.

Food Quality Control: History, Present and Future

“…Although this technology can be used for food samples, it requires prior isolation of the target organism to generate antibodies (Comas-Riu, 2009). FCM finds wide application in milk and brewing quality control.…”

“…FCM finds wide application in milk and brewing quality control. The advantage of FCM is that it can also differentiate Viable Non-Culturable (VBNC) form of bacteria from healthy cultivable cells (Comas-Riu, 2009). This technology has the ability to detect microorganisms at relatively low concentrations in a short time, while multiple labeling allows the detection of different organisms or different stages in the same sample (Comas-Riu, 2009).…”

Flow Cytometry as a Powerful Tool for Monitoring Microbial Population Dynamics in Sludge

“…Depending on the dye used, many of these measurements can be done simultaneously on the same cells. The scatter and fluorescence signals detected can be combined in various ways to allow for the detection of subpopulations (Comas-Riu & Rius, 2009). This contrasts with spectrophotometry, in which the percentage of the absorption and transmission of specific wavelengths of light is measured for a bulk volume of the sample.…”

“…Flow cytometry is generally used in microbial cell analysis for rapid counting, the study of heterogeneous bacterial populations, strain improvement in industrial microbiology, and in order to sort bacteria for further molecular analysis (Díaz et al, 2010); (Müller & Nebe-von-Caron, 2010) )(Comas-Riu & Rius, 2009). In microbiological applications using one or several dyes, the main objective is the labelling of cells with different structural properties or differing in their activity or functionality (Díaz et al, 2010)(Achilles et al, 2006.…”

Celiac disease diagnosis and gluten-free food analytical control

“…Also a flow cytometry (FCM) method for the quantitative determination of picogram levels of gliadin was developed [105]. FCM is a highthroughput technique that is able to analyze large numbers of cells individually using light-scattering and fluorescence measurements [106]. In the work by Capparrelli and colleagues [105], rat antibodies against a 16-residue peptide of gliadin, common to the α, β, γ, and ω-gliadins, were used.…”