Neogen adds simple strip test for total milk allergen

LANSING, Mich., May 24, 2006 — Neogen has developed a simple strip test for milk allergen that will detect both casein and whey residues in about 5 minutes.

Neogen’s new Reveal® for Total Milk Allergen adds to the company’s line of food allergen test kits, which also includes rapid screening and quantitative tests for peanuts, eggs, gliadin (gluten), almonds, soy flour, and hazelnut. Neogen is the recognized leader in the development and marketing of diagnostic tests to detect the inadvertent contamination of food with allergens that are not listed on the ingredient label. Unlabeled food allergens have been the cause of the majority of food recalls in recent years.

Reveal for Total Milk Allergen screens for milk residue at 5 parts per million (ppm) in liquid products (e.g., juices and sorbet), clean-in-place rinses, and on environmental surfaces. The new test is expected to be especially useful in allowing production lines to be tested quickly and reliably following the sanitation process. The new Reveal format for milk allergen testing reduces the time to results from the previous 30 minutes to 5—allowing for even better production workflow.

“Developing a quicker and easier test for milk is an example of Neogen responding to the testing needs of the food industry,” said Jennifer Baker, Neogen’s marketing specialist for food allergen testing products. “In a collaborative effort with Dr. Sue Hefle of FARRP, we are continually working to develop other food allergen tests that are needed by the food industry to protect consumers.”

Neogen’s food allergen testing products have been developed in close cooperation with the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP). FARRP is a food industry and university partnership that was formed to provide research and resource tools to the food industry. It is the leader in training and educating the industry on allergen awareness.

Reveal for Total Milk Allergen combines the accuracy of previous generations of rapid food allergen screening tests with the simplicity and speed of a dipstick format. After extraction, a tester needs only 5 minutes or less to produce accurate and easy-to-interpret sample results. After dipping the strip into a sample extract, two lines will form to indicate the presence of at least 5 ppm of milk residue (a combined total of casein and whey detected). If milk residue is not detected, only one control line will form to indicate the test has been performed correctly.

Neogen Corporation (Nasdaq: NEOG) develops and markets products and services dedicated to food and animal safety. The company’s Food Safety Division markets dehydrated culture media, and diagnostic test kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, genetic modifications, food allergens, unique proteins, drug residues, plant diseases and sanitation concerns.

Certain portions of this news release that do not relate to historical financial information constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Actual future results and trends may differ materially from historical results or those expected depending on a variety of factors listed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the Company’s
most recently filed Form 10-K.