Knowledge about foodborne pathogens and PCR-based microbial detection methods among Brazilian students and professionals: A survey

Abstract

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is widely used in several research areas and routine laboratory analyses, including foodborne pathogens detection. We aimed to investigate the knowledge about PCR-based methods and foodborne pathogens among undergraduate and graduate Brazilian students and professionals. A cross-sectional survey was carried out using an online questionnaire as data collection method. The questionnaire was validated and distributed through email and social networks. Data from 1246 respondents was collected. The knowledge scores were verified by correspondence analysis and discussed, 75.8% of the participants answered that they knew a foodborne pathogen and 71.4% of the participants answered that they did not study molecular biology techniques during undergraduate course. The highest level of knowledge was found among professionals with Masters' and PhD degrees. In conclusion, participants are not knowledgeable about PCR-based methods and the level of academic training influences the knowledge of analytical foundations. Most participants did not study PCR and its application in detecting foodborne pathogens during undergraduate course. We suggested that undergraduate courses in Food Engineering and in Food Science and Technology include mandatory molecular biology classes in academic programs.