Move beyond simply detecting pathogens to understanding your entire microbial environment. The NMSU Food Safety Laboratory now offers advanced Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) services, a powerful technology that provides an unprecedented, high-resolution view of the microorganisms in your products and facility. This proactive approach allows you to identify risks, trace contamination to its source, and make data-driven decisions to protect your brand like never before.

Why Choose NGS?

1. Comprehensive Analysis

   Traditional methods only find what you're looking for. NGS Metagenomics provides a complete census of the microbial community, identifying spoilage organisms, beneficial microbes, and unexpected contaminants—even those that cannot be grown on a petri dish.

2. Pinpoint Precision

   Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) provides the ultimate genetic fingerprint for a specific bacterium. We can trace a persistent contaminant back to its source in your facility or link isolates across the supply chain with a level of certainty that was previously impossible.

3. Proactive Prevention

   Use NGS to move from a reactive to a preventive food safety model. By understanding the baseline microbiome of your facility, you can monitor the effectiveness of sanitation programs, detect emerging risks, and stop outbreaks before they start.

Our NGS Applications for the Food Industry

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)

WGS is the definitive tool for root cause analysis and outbreak investigation. It is the same technology used by the FDA and CDC in the GenomeTrakr network to monitor and investigate foodborne illnesses.

• Source Tracking: Pinpoint the origin of a persistent pathogen in your facility.
• Isolate Comparison: Determine if isolates from a finished product and an environmental swab are the same strain.
• Virulence & Resistance Profiling: Understand the specific genetic characteristics of a pathogen found in your environment.

Metagenomics (Microbiome Analysis)

Metagenomics identifies the full spectrum of bacteria and fungi in a single sample, giving you a complete picture of your product's or facility's microbial landscape.

• Spoilage Investigation: Identify the complete community of organisms causing product spoilage to reformulate products or adjust processing.
• Sanitation Verification: Characterize the microbiome before and after sanitation to scientifically validate your cleaning protocols.
• Raw Ingredient Profiling: Analyze the microbial makeup of raw ingredients to assess quality and potential risks.

Ingredient Authentication & Speciation

Using DNA-based methods, we can definitively identify the species of meat, fish, or plant material in your product.

• Prevent Food Fraud: Verify that premium ingredients like specific fish species or olive oil are authentic.
• Confirm Product Composition: Detect undeclared or cross-contaminating species in products like ground meats or spices.