DuPont Qualicon announced March 18 that the BAX system for detecting Listeria has been certified as Performance Tested Method No. 030502 by the AOAC Research Institute of Gaithersburg, Md.Validation studies compared BAX system performance to the standard culture method used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, which requires a 48-hour dual enrichment and manual plating.AOAC-RI found that the automated BAX system performed as well as the culture method for detecting Listeria species on environmental surfaces such as plastic, ceramic, rubber, concrete, wood, cast iron and air filter material. Proprietary BAX system media combines a single enrichment step with shorter incubation times, so results are available about 30-33 hours post-sampling."Labs that need third-party endorsement have been waiting for this approval," said Kevin Huttman, president â DuPont Qualicon. "Now they can start saving time and money with the simplified enrichment and next-day results of the BAX system."DuPont Qualicon also markets the patented RiboPrinter system, the world's only automated DNA fingerprinting instrument to track and trend bacterial contamination in pharmaceuticals, personal care products and food.