Neogen’s rapid test for Listeria receives AOAC approval

LANSING, Mich., April 11, 2011 — Neogen Corporation today announced that its enhanced rapid test for Listeria has received approval from AOAC International.

Neogen’s improved test kit, Reveal® 2.0 for Listeria, provides the food industry a quick, accurate and easy method of detecting this pathogen without compromising sensitivity or specificity. The AOAC’s process validated the accuracy of the Reveal 2.0 for Listeria system when testing a variety of food and environmental samples.

Neogen had earlier received approval from AOAC International for its Reveal 2.0 enhanced rapid systems for the detection of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.

“We’re very pleased that AOAC has validated the quality of our enhanced Listeria test system, which completes its validation of our line of optimized, user-friendly assays for foodborne pathogens,” said Neogen’s Michael Wendorf. “The success of the Reveal 2.0 product line is complemented by Neogen’s ability to offer premeasured media — a feature that decreases sample preparation time.”

Results of the internal and independent laboratory validation studies showed that the Reveal for Listeria 2.0 method is an effective procedure for detection of Listeria spp. in a variety of foods and environmental samples. Use of Neogen’s LESS (Listeria enrichment single step) broth enrichment procedure, in conjunction with the Reveal 2.0 assay, provides results in 27-30 hours with minimal labor.

In the AOAC study, Reveal 2.0 for Listeria was shown to be comparable to the following reference methods for the indicated matrices: US FDA (2003) Bacteriological Analytical Manual, Chapter 10: pasteurized liquid egg, vanilla ice cream, parmesan cheese, 2% liquid milk, pasteurized crab meat, and smoked salmon; and USDA-FSIS (2009) Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook, Chapter 8.07: deli turkey, hot dogs, frozen hamburgers, pepperoni, ceramic tile, stainless steel, plastic, and sealed concrete.

Neogen Corporation (NASDAQ: NEOG) develops and markets products dedicated to food and animal safety. The company’s Food Safety Division markets diagnostic test kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, genetic modifications, food allergens, drug residues, plant diseases, and sanitation concerns, and dehydrated culture media. Neogen’s Animal Safety Division markets a complete line of diagnostics, veterinary instruments, veterinary pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, disinfectants, and rodenticides.