Development and evaluation of DNA and RNA real-time assays for food analysis using the hilA gene of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica

► The studies outline the development and the design of rapid PCR methods for the detection of Salmonella in surface carcass swabs (porcine and beef) and ready-to-eat meat using the hilA target. ► The method also enables rapid isolation of Salmonella cultures for further identification. ► The developed methods essentially comprises of a real-time assay detection with a complementary enrichment protocol which was adapted from the existing standard ISO 6579:2004. ► The developed methods provide useful alternatives to the standard ISO 6579: 2004 method.