Table 2.
A summary of the advantages and limitations of potential molecular methods for the identification and quantification of bacteria in milk
| Real-time PCR (RT PCR) | Advantages: All inherent PCR benefits; it is faster than conventional PCR and can detect and quantify bacteria DNA in the same reaction vessel in real time. |
| Limitations: All inherent PCR limitations. | |
| PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) | Advantages: It is accurate in the detection of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of different systems. |
| Limitations: It takes relatively longer to complete the analysis and there is a risk of sample contamination after the PCR reaction when compared to real-time PCR; It is costly and labour-intensive; requires expertise to run analysis. |