Conventional and emerging detection techniques for pathogenic bacteria in food science: A review

Background: Continuous transformation and development of new detection tools for bacteria has converted the laborious scientific work into smart apparatus in recent years. The journey had begun with the culture-based plate enumeration, and now it has evolved into several culture-independent techniques. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is on the top of the list that is now a routinely used biological approach to detect bacterial cells. Instrumental techniques are also helpful in this regard, as they are more sensitive for detection of various microbes. Scope and approach: In this review, we described new trends and their practical application in the fields of detection microbiology and food technology. This study provides a brief overview of conventional and modern detection techniques which includes nucleic-acid sequence based techniques to non-destructive imaging techniques. Key findings and conclusions: Besides the availability of antibiotics and clinical treatments, bacterial infections significantly increase the mortality rate. It is necessary to detect apparent infectious agents beforehand. Therefore, the detection methods for microorganisms should be more rapid, smart and reliable in response to the need. Conventional detection techniques are slow and time-consuming but more accurate and reliable than the modern detection techniques. By combing the mentioned techniques, scientists can achieve better results.