Food Safety
DILAVE Prefers BAX® System for Testing Food Exports
The Veterinary Laboratories Division (DILAVE) is the official national and regional reference laboratory for animal health and diseases in Uruguay's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fishing. With a presence in the food safety industry since 1978, DILAVE is responsible for testing all meat and milk exports.
A central laboratory in Montevideo, three regional laboratories in Paysandú, Tacuarembó and Treinta y Tres, and two livestock breeding stations serve the dairy and refrigerated industries in Uruguay. The lab's headquarters in Montevideo is responsible for diagnosis, prevention, disease control & animal health research, and this work is divided into seven departments: Bacteriology, Veterinary Products Control, Parasitology, Pathobiology, Food Protection, Biological and Virology Resources.
Dr. Vivianne Neirotti leads the microbiology section at the DILAVE Food Protection department. Her lab purchased the BAX® System in April 2008 and has been using it every day since then to detect pathogens such as E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella. Originally, she chose the BAX® System because it is the method used by USDA-FSIS for detecting these organisms.
"For products that will be exported, it is essential to use a system that is validated, standardized and accepted by the main destinations Uruguay wants to reach, such as the European Union, Israel, China, USA and Latin America, to name a few," said Dr. Neirotti.
Workers in the microbiology section have found that the BAX® System contributes to greater efficiency in the lab by optimizing tasks, reducing hands-on time, and providing a greater rate of testing results per hour. According to Dr. Neirotti, "In the lab, we like the BAX® System because it's fast, reliable, secure in its results, easily adaptable and friendly to the operator.”
“Beyond the lab,” she continues, “the BAX® System contributes to DILAVE business objectives, as reports are completed quickly. For example, we get Salmonella results in 24 hours, instead of having to wait five days with the traditional technique. For all of these reasons, I recommend the BAX® System for food safety testing."
