MODERN AND RAPID METHODS FOR TOXICOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF FOODSTUFFS WITH BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION
Foodborne illnesses are a widespread problem throughout the world. Food poisoning due to bacterial toxins can be caused by the ingestion of exotoxins which are preformed in the food, or by the ingestion of food containing large numbers of bacterial cells which then release endotoxins in the gastrointestinal tract. Early methods for the assay of bacteria toxins were based on in vivo or in vitro tests. Later, immunological tests were developed based on techniques such as gel diffusion. Different types of methods have been developed for the detection of toxin genes and their toxic products. These methods include the detection of toxin genes by amplification methods and hybridization probing. There are now a number of rapid test kits available which give results within hours and are much simpler to perform and interpret than bioassays.