ST. PAUL, Minn. – 3M Food Safety unveiled the company's new 3M Molecular Detection System, a device that employs nucleic acid tests for the detection of foodborne pathogens.

The platform uses a combination of isothermal DNA amplification and bioluminescence detection, according to 3M. It targets and amplifies nucleic acid in enriched samples. The company tested the detection system with a variety of foods, including meat, processed foods, pet food and what 3M calls "food processing-related environmental samples". The instrument is compact, portable and adaptable to various laboratory environments, the company said.

Individual pathogen-specific assays, or procedural tests, will be sold as test kits, the company added. Assays for Salmonella, E. coli O157 and Listeria are currently available. A test for Listeria monocytogenes will be available in 2012.