Project Grant 2135699

This $256,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Industrial Innovation, under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), funds the development of a rapid, simple, and low-cost Salmonella detection and quantification test. Secure Food Solutions, Incorporated will optimize a multi-layer 96-well microplate method to demonstrate 90% sensitivity and specificity for Salmonella in raw poultry and processing environment samples within 15 hours without pre-enrichment. They will establish desired performance across 35 Salmonella organisms and 20 non-targets in various matrices through inclusivity, exclusivity, matrix, stability, and reproducibility testing. If successfully developed, this test could help the US poultry industry minimize Salmonella risks to consumers by enabling on-site processing environment and raw product screening with faster results and corrective action.