Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are harmful bacteria that can contaminate beef and cause serious illness in people. Federal law requires all beef products to be tested, and even a single STEC cell in raw beef means the product cannot be released to the market. However, current testing methods often give false alarms, mistakenly identifying harmless bacteria as dangerous STEC. These false positives lead to wasted products, costly delays, and millions of dollars in losses for the beef processors every year. This project aims to bring a breakthrough STEC testing method to the market. Using advanced digital technology, the new test detects only truly harmful STEC bacteria directly in beef samples, eliminating false positives.
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