Menadione-Catalyzed Luminol Chemiluminescence Assay for the Rapid Detection of Viable Bacteria in Foods under Aerobic Conditions

A menadione-catalyzed luminol chemiluminescence assay was developed for the rapid detection and estimation of viable bacteria in foods. The principle of this assay is based on the extracellular menadione-catalyzed active oxygen spieces (O 2 - and H 2 O 2 ) generated by the activity of NAD(P)H:menadione oxidoreductase in viable cells. This luminol chemiluminescence assay requires 10 min for the incubation of cells with menadione and then 2 s for the measurement of chemiluminescence intensity after an injection of luminol solution without the treatment of cell lysis. This method was evaluated using liquid food samples of milk, vegetable juice, green tea, and coffee spiked with Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. The study result revealed that E. coli contamination at 1 to 10 CFU/ml in these foods could be detected after incubation at 37°C for 7 h in an enrichment medium; however, the green tea and coffee samples requires filtration. This method could be a useful tool for the rapid evaluation of microbial food contamination.