mericon DNA Bacteria Kit (100)

A nucleic acid extraction solution from QIAGEN's mericon food testing portfolio, designed for the isolation of total genomic DNA from Gram-negative bacteria present in pathogen enrichment cultures. The workflow uses a thermal lysis procedure (by boiling) that is optimised for easily lysed Gram-negative organisms such as Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and Cronobacter spp. Formulated chemistry is intended to maximise lysis efficiency, stabilise the extracted DNA, and remove inhibitors that may interfere with downstream applications, delivering a DNA suspension suitable for sensitive real-time PCR analysis, even from low-count samples. The kit is intended for molecular biology applications in food, animal feed, and pharmaceutical product testing, and is explicitly not intended for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a disease. Production occurs under QIAGEN's ISO-certified Quality Management System, with each lot tested against predetermined specifications to ensure consistent product quality.

Fast Lysis Buffer, the key reagent provided, should be stored dry at room temperature (15–25°C), under which conditions the kit remains stable for up to one year without any reduction in performance. The recommended bench workflow involves homogenising a food sample in enrichment culture medium using a lab pedal blender, centrifuging an aliquot of the enrichment culture, resuspending the resulting bacterial pellet in Fast Lysis Buffer, heating at 100°C for a defined period, and transferring an aliquot of the cleared supernatant directly into a real-time PCR reaction. Required user equipment includes a lab pedal blender, homogenizing bags, a vortex, screw-cap microcentrifuge tubes, a microcentrifuge, a thermomixer or heating block capable of reaching 100°C, and standard pipets and tips. The kit forms part of the broader mericon sample preparation and assay system for the real-time PCR detection of pathogens, genetically modified organisms, allergens, and plant and animal matter in food, animal feed, or pharmaceutical products.