3Ms Food Safety Business has launched its Microbial Luminescence System UHT Beverage Screen Kit, a new test for ultra high temperature (UHT) and extended shelf life (ESL) beverages.

This new test expands the application of the 3M Microbial Luminescence System (MLS) from UHT dairy products to a variety of UHT and ESL beverages, such as fruit juices, caffeinated drinks, coconut waters, smoothies, dairy, dairy substitutes and dairy/juice mixtures.

The system provides a rapid method for quality release testing, reducing the time-to-result by two to three days or more, compared to traditional methods like agar plates and pH measurement.

"UHT and ESL beverages and their processing techniques are becoming more sophisticated and diverse, yet the historical test methods continue to lag behind and are time consuming and limiting," comments Eric Amann, 3M Food Safety global marketing manager. "This new and improved 3M technology provides a quicker and more reliable way to detect microorganisms in a wide variety of beverages."