Cell recovery and DNA extraction methods skew relative abundance estimations of foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms on stainless steel surfaces
Jingzhang Feng, Sarah E. Daly, Katerina Roth, Abigail B. Snyder · 2026
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Description
Jingzhang Feng and three co-authors report a 2026 lab study on how swabbing and DNA tests can skew counts of microbes on steel. Food plants often use gene sequencing to map bacteria and fungi on work surfaces. Yet cell types differ, so some may be picked up or read more easily than others.
The team placed known microbes on steel, then swabbed them and pulled out DNA with set methods. Spores came off far better than plain cells, with rates from about a third to near full. Longer bead beating raised DNA yield, but by uneven amounts. When all types started equal, one key germ was undercounted and one spore former was overcounted. The results urge care in reading surface maps.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Jingzhang Feng, Sarah E. Daly, Katerina Roth, Abigail B. Snyder |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 43 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |