Neogen now offers Certified Reference Materials for mycotoxins

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 13, 2011 — Neogen now offers Certified Reference Materials for aflatoxin, DON or fumonisin, with materials for zearalenone, ochratoxin and T-2/HT-2 to follow as they become available.

Neogen’s new Certified Reference Materials for mycotoxins are naturally contaminated and available in low, medium and high levels of contamination, as well as negative controls.

“An important part of any quality assurance program is a reliable way to verify testing procedures, environment, and equipment,” said Neogen’s Technical Services Materials Specialist Jake Clark. “Neogen’s Certified Reference Materials provide a simple method to validate testing accuracy, thus giving testing personnel and management confidence in their results. The use of this product helps to pinpoint any facility that may require additional training for its personnel, or may need improvements to their testing environment or equipment.

“The reality is that many of our mycotoxin test kit customers need to verify the accuracy of the technicians who perform their tests,” Clark continued. “Establishing a method to internally evaluate a facility’s mycotoxin testing procedures helps ensure the continuing accuracy of their tests’ results.” Neogen recommends an internal evaluation protocol to ensure quality in a testing program. Each evaluation should consist of technicians performing mycotoxin tests on Certified Reference Materials, and the subsequent test results being compared to the certified contamination level. The reference material is grounded and blended, and multiple samples are analyzed using approved HPLC and other methods to establish definitive contamination levels.

Check Sample Program also available

Neogen also offers a Check Sample Program as a method of evaluating mycotoxin testing procedures. In this program, participants are sent blind samples of materials naturally contaminated with either aflatoxin or DON. Participants use their normal testing protocols to test the samples, and then report their results to Neogen. Neogen then sends all participants a compilation report that compares the participant’s results with the certified contamination levels.

Neogen Corporation (www.Neogen.com) develops and markets products 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, drug residues, plant diseases and sanitation concerns. Neogen’s Animal Safety Division markets a complete line of diagnostics, veterinary instruments, veterinary pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, disinfectants, and rodenticides.