with an untreated sample or control. By using an RNA
standard gene, minor variations in amount of RNA used
or differences in RT efficiency can be accounted for. Recently,
such approaches have been used to determine
Salmonella response in water samples and have led to a
precise evaluation of metabolic activity under the conditions
typically encountered in water (Fey et al., 2004).
Application of RT-PCR techniques will allow for the simultaneous
monitoring of gene expression of any of the
key genes at any time during exposure to food or feed
processing conditions. Key areas for application could
include measurement during thermal treatments as well
as after carcass rinses and exposure to antimicrobial compounds.