Practical relevance of methodologies for detecting and tracing of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods and manufacture environments – A review

The multifaceted properties of Listeria monocytogenes allow the microorganism to grow and multiply in various food matrices even under adverse conditions. Therefore methods are needed to detect and trace this pathogen along the entire food supply network. Analytical methods have to fulfill several needs and also should meet the requirements of governmental, scientific and industrial parties. Among these demands, the level of detection based on genus and/or species or even strain specific information is of high practical significance to the food manufacturer. Hence, the release of sufficiently resolved information should be integrated into risk analysis and elucidation of contamination routes. This review aims at providing a current overview of methods for detecting, isolating and subtyping L. monocytogenes in various matrices, taking into account recent studies indicating the different drawbacks and advantages of commonly applied methods.