Detection, subtyping and control of Listeria monocytogenes in food processing environments

Snehal's thesis focussed on developing rapid and robust methods to detect and subtype a serious foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes from different foods and food processing environments. A mass spectrometry based approach, much more rapid in comparison to the currently available platforms was developed to detect the pathogen and discriminate it at the strain level. The thesis also investigated the use of essential oils as surface disinfectants to control the growth of this pathogen in food processing environments.