Current Research My research interest lies in the areas of adaptive response L. monocytogenes to environmental conditions of relevance to the Food Industry, such as low temperature stress and osmotic stress. The adaptation of L. monocytogenes to osmotic stress resembles that of many other bacteria and appears to depend on the ability of the organism to accumulate compatible solutes. The ability of L. monocytogenes to tolerate environments of elevated osmolarity and reduced temperature is due partially to the transport and accumulation of the osmolyte amino acids like proline. Accumulation of proline has been found to be important in the organism’s tolerance to both these stresses. Second area of expertise is including the therapeutic use of bacteriophage against pathogenic bacteria in human food chain. However, I tried to develop and evaluate a rapid method for detection and quantification of L. monocytogenes in foods based on Phage-PCR. This work culminated in the successful deve