Food Safety Webinar Series: A Practical Colorimetric Method to Monitor Vibrio parahaemolyticus

The UMaine Extension Food Safety Webinar Series is a monthly, expert-led educational series focused on practical food safety, regulatory compliance, and product innovation across the food system. Sessions cover topics such as electronic record-keeping, workforce training, chemical safety, food adulteration prevention, seafood pathogen detection, audit readiness, product development, environmental air quality, and alternative protein innovations. The series is designed for food producers, processors, seafood businesses, entrepreneurs, quality assurance staff, extension educators, students, faculty, regulatory professionals, and technical specialists, with particular relevance for those working with food safety training, compliance systems, seafood hazards, product development, and emerging technologies in food processing.

Food businesses and professionals face increasing regulatory expectations, evolving hazards, and rapid technological change. By addressing real-world topics such as digital compliance systems, chemical handling, adulteration prevention, seafood pathogen detection, and audit preparation, the series helps participants stay current and make informed, practical decisions. Participants will gain practical tools, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies related to training programs, compliance documentation, safe chemical use, adulteration prevention, seafood safety, product innovation, and environmental controls—knowledge they can immediately apply in their operations, classrooms, or regulatory work.

Food Adulteration Training

Detecting harmful bacteria like Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seafood is critical for public health, but traditional lab methods can be slow, costly, and technically complex. Addressing this need, Drs. Gulnihal Ozbay and Ali Parsaeimehr from Delaware State University have developed an innovative, colorimetric PCR-based detection method that is both rapid and accessible.

Their method targets a specific virulence gene and uses a DNAzyme signaling probe to produce a visible color change, allowing detection by the naked eye. This approach can identify the bacterium at very low concentrations in just two hours, offering a significant advantage over conventional techniques that require more time, expensive equipment, and specialized training.

Recently granted a provisional international patent, this cost-effective and user-friendly technology is designed to empower on-site screening. It holds great promise for aquaculturists, hatchery managers, and food safety inspectors, particularly in resource-limited settings, enhancing our ability to ensure seafood safety from harvest to market.

To Register and Receive Webinar Zoom Link