{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T13:14:38Z","timestamp":1790342078247,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,24]],"date-time":"2025-04-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745452800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n The preservation of microbial safety in cosmetic products is essential for consumer health and requires rapid and accurate detection strategies\u2026 Traditional detection methods, such as quantitative and qualitative tests, are effective but often time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, plate count methods fail to detect viable but non-cultivable cells, which remain alive but cannot grow under standard laboratory conditions. To address these limitations, molecular techniques like PCR, particularly real-time PCR (rt-PCR), multiplex rt-PCR, and viability PCR assays, as well as flow cytometry, have enhanced microbiological analysis by improving detection sensitivity, accuracy, and enabling rapid pathogen identification. ISO standards offer guidelines for reliable and consistent microbial detection methods, to guarantee the effectiveness of traditional and molecular techniques in food and cosmetic safety testing.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n This study evaluates real-time PCR (rt-PCR) as an alternative to the traditional plate-based method for the detection of\n Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,<\/jats:italic>\n and\n Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>\n in cosmetic formulations.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results and discussion<\/jats:title>\n rt-PCR consistently demonstrated superior sensitivity and reliability, particularly in detecting pathogens at low inoculum levels and within complex matrices. For all pathogens, rt-PCR achieved a 100% detection rate across all replicates, reaching the same or superior results than the classical plate method. rt-PCR\u2019s ability to directly target DNA overcomes issues related to colony morphology and microbial competition. The study highlights the necessity of standardized rt-PCR protocols aligned with international ISO guidelines to enhance its applicability in routine quality control programs. In conclusion, rt-PCR represents a significant advancement in microbial safety for food and cosmetics, offering a rapid, sensitive, and reliable alternative to conventional methods. By integrating enrichment strategies, rt-PCR ensures higher accuracy in pathogen detection, reinforcing product safety and regulatory compliance in the cosmetics industry.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1572201","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,24]],"date-time":"2025-04-24T01:25:50Z","timestamp":1745457950000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Development of real-time PCR methods for quality control detection of pathogenic bacteria in cosmetic preparations"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Veronica","family":"Bolzon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michela","family":"Bulfoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alessandro","family":"Nencioni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emanuele","family":"Nencioni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1186\/s13568-020-01016-4","article-title":"Development of a standardized method to evaluate the protective efficiency of cosmetic packaging against microbial contamination","volume":"10","author":"Catovic","year":"2020","journal-title":"AMB Express"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2014.00770","article-title":"Rapid methods for the detection of foodborne bacterial pathogens: principles, applications, advantages and limitations","volume":"5","author":"Law","year":"2015","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2014.00016","article-title":"Evolution of microbiological analytical methods for dairy industry needs","volume":"5","author":"Sohier","year":"2014","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"108283","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2021.108283","article-title":"Environmental monitoring program to support food microbiological safety and quality in food industries: a scoping review of the research and guidelines","volume":"130","author":"De Oliveira Mota","year":"2021","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1303","DOI":"10.4315\/0362-028X-67.6.1303","article-title":"Sampling methods for microbiological analysis of red meat and poultry carcasses","volume":"67","author":"Capita","year":"2004","journal-title":"J Food Prot"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4281","DOI":"10.1007\/s00253-020-10542-x","article-title":"Methods for detection of viable foodborne pathogens: current state-of-art and future prospects","volume":"104","author":"Foddai","year":"2020","journal-title":"Appl Microbiol Biotechnol"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.07.025","article-title":"Factors influencing the accuracy of the plating method used to enumerate low numbers of viable micro-organisms in food","volume":"143","author":"Jongenburger","year":"2010","journal-title":"Int J Food Microbiol"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1174","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2017.01174","article-title":"Comparison among the quantification of bacterial pathogens by qPCR, dPCR, and cultural methods","volume":"8","author":"Ricchi","year":"2017","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3985","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.42.9.3985-3991.2004","article-title":"Use of culture, PCR analysis, and DNA microarrays for detection of campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from chicken feces","volume":"42","author":"Keramas","year":"2004","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2106","DOI":"10.1111\/jam.15310","article-title":"Real-time qPCR to evaluate bacterial contamination of cosmetic cream and the efficiency of protective ingredients","volume":"132","author":"Bermond","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Appl Microbiol"},{"key":"ref11","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref12","year":"2016"},{"key":"ref13","year":"2015"},{"key":"ref14","year":"2021"},{"key":"ref15","year":"2009"},{"key":"ref16","year":"2015"},{"key":"ref17","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref18","first-page":"1","article-title":"Antimicrobial efficacy of Caprylyl glycol and Ethylhexylglycerine in emulsion","volume":"23","author":"Lawan","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Health Res."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"848","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fm.2011.02.008","article-title":"Recent advances in quantitative PCR (qPCR) applications in food microbiology","volume":"28","author":"Postollec","year":"2011","journal-title":"Food Microbiol"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1018","DOI":"10.1128\/AEM.71.2.1018-1024.2005","article-title":"Use of ethidium monoazide and PCR in combination for quantification of viable and dead cells in complex samples","volume":"71","author":"Rudi","year":"2005","journal-title":"Appl Environ Microbiol"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"146","DOI":"10.1002\/cyto.a.24794","article-title":"A flow cytometry method for safe detection of bacterial viability","volume":"105","author":"Servain-Viel","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cytometry A"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105834","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mimet.2020.105834","article-title":"A novel pharmaceutical approach for the analytical validation of probiotic bacterial count by flow cytometry","volume":"170","author":"Michelutti","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Microbiol Methods"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0211583","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0211583","article-title":"Flow cytometry, a powerful novel tool to rapidly assess bacterial viability in metal working fluids: proof-of-principle","volume":"14","author":"Vanhauteghem","year":"2019","journal-title":"PLoS One"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1572201\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,24]],"date-time":"2025-04-24T01:25:51Z","timestamp":1745457951000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1572201\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,24]]},"references-count":23,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1572201"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1572201","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,24]]},"article-number":"1572201"}}