Table 3 Detection methods for Cronobacter species

Techniques	Specificity	Detection time	Detection limits	References
Culture based detection methods
Selective media	Cronobacter species	5-7 days	1 CFU/ 100 g	USFDA, 2002; ISO, 2006; Iversen et al., 2008; Kim and Rhee, 2011;
Selective media and fluorescent	Cronobacter species	24 h	Not mentioned	Oh and Kang, 2004
PCR based detection methods
Real-time PCR, selective agar	Cronobacter species	Within 2 days	1 CFU/ 100 g	USFDA, 2012; Lampel and Chen, 2009
Conventional PCR	Cronobacter species	1 h	Not mentioned	Stoop et al., 2009
PCR-based detection	Cronobacter species	Less than 24 h	1 CFU/ 100 g	Zimmermann et al., 2014
Duplex PCR, immobilization	Cronobacter species	2-3 h	3 CFU/g	Zhou et al., 2008
Duplex PCR, electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence detector	Cronobacter species	2-3 h	1.6 CFU/mL	Ruan et al., 2013
TaqMan real-time PCR	Cronobacter species	1 day	1 CFU/mL	Wang et al., 2012
Immunological detection methods
INC-ELISA	Cronobacter muytjensii	36 h	1 cell/25 g	Song and Kim, 2013
Sandwich ELISA	Cronobacter muytjensii	Within 2 days	6.3×104 CFU/mL without enrichment	Park et al., 2012
Sandwich ELISA and indirect enzyme-linked ELISA	Cronobacter sakazakii	Within 2 days	104 CFU/mL, 1 CFU/ mL with enrichment	Xu et al., 2014b
Fluorescence-based liposome immunoassay	Cronobacter muytjensii	13 h	6.3×104 CFU/mL	Song et al., 2015
Immunochromatographic strip	genus Cronobacter	16 h	10 cell/ 10 g	Blazkova et al., 2011
Immuno-blotting analysis, cross-priming amplification	Cronobacter species	60-70 min with pre-enrichment	100 CFU/100 g	Zhao et al., 2010
Biosensor based detection methods
Silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles, immunochromatographic strip	Cronobacter species	15 min	106 CFU/mL	Chen et al., 2014
Immunomagnetic nanoparticles, immunuliposome	Cronobacter sakazakii	2 h and 30 min	3.3×103 CFU/mL	Shukla et al., 2016
Cationic-magnetic-beads, selective media	Cronobacter species	24 h	1-5 CFU/500 g	Mullane et al., 2006
Probe-magnetic-bead, real-time qPCR	Cronobacter species	Less than 4 h	103 CFU/mL in artificially contaminated PIF	Xu et al., 2014a
Biofunctionalized magnetic nanoparticles, nuclear magnetic resonance	Cronobacter species	2 h	10 cells/10 g	Zhao et al., 2013
Other detection methods
MALDI-TOF MS	Cronobacter species	46 h	Less than 10 cells/100 g	Javurkova et al., 2012
RNA hybridisation assay, lateral flow	Cronobacter species	29 h	100 CFU/mL	Zhu et al., 2012