bioMérieux’s TEMPO® STA Assay Gains International Approvals for Food Safety Testing

AFNOR/ISO and AOAC Research Institute validate performance of automated food safety solution.
bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, is pleased to announce that TEMPO® STA, an automated quality indicator test for the fast enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus in food products, has been approved by both the AFNOR Validation according to the ISO 16140 norm, and the AOAC Research Institute. The rigors of these third party validations provide food professionals with added assurance for high performance testing standards.

TEMPO STA provides results in 24 hours without any need for confirmatory testing, compared to traditional methods, which take anywhere from 48 hours to 4 days for results.

Food products contaminated with certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus can lead to serious foodborne illness in humans. The onset of illness is usually rapid and often serious, and is caused by ingesting enterotoxins produced by some strains of S. aureus when food is not stored appropriately. The severity of disease depends on the amount of contaminated food ingested, the individual’s response to the toxin, and the general health of the victim. Symptoms generally appear within 2-4 hours and most commonly include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and prostration. The enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus is important to detect the toxin levels in foods and avoid the risk of possible illness.

“bioMérieux maintains its commitment to providing the food industry with high performing testing solutions that help ensure food quality and safety worldwide,” said Alexandre Mérieux, Corporate Vice President, Industrial Microbiology. “We are pleased to have achieved these important international third party validations, which will enhance the value of this test for our customers.”

TEMPO STA has been certified by AFNOR Validation according to ISO 16140 vs. ISO 6888-2 method for the enumeration of coagulase positive staphylococci, and AOAC RI following the Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) method for the enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus in food products.

About TEMPO®

Through automation, TEMPO takes the traditional, labor-intensive MPN method and standardizes numerous analytical steps, improving the laboratory workflow. The fully automated TEMPO solution offers ease of use and fast turnaround time for accurate, standardized and consistent results, enabling food companies to manage the quality and safety of their production. In addition to Staphylococcus aureus, TEMPO automates testing for total viable counts, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, generic E. coli, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts/molds