A novel protocol to isolate, detect and differentiate taeniid eggs in leafy greens and berries using real-time PCR with melting curve analysis

Table 2 Critical experiments for the selection of the best wash solution to recover T. pisiformis eggs from romaine lettuce or strawberries

Produce	No. of eggs spiked	0.1% Alconox		Glycine buffer		Sodium pyrophosphate
Produce	No. of eggs spiked	Positive/Total	Mean Cq	Positive/Total	Mean Cq	Positive/Total	Mean Cq
Lettuce	500	10/10	26.72	10/10	26.26	10/10	27.73*
Lettuce	5	10/10	33.37	11/11	35.47**	nd	nd
Strawberries	100	6/6^a	28.08	3/6	29.18	5/6	29.78

^aNo comparison of Cq values between wash solutions was undertaken for strawberries, since only 0.1% Alconox correctly identified all samples as positive
Note: All lower spikes for strawberries were washed with 0.1% Alconox
*Significantly higher than Cq values for 0.1% Alconox (P = 0.0001) and glycine buffer (P < 0.0001)
**Significantly higher than Cq values for Alconox (P < 0.0001)

ISSN: 1756-3305