UDSA/GIPSA approves test kit for high aflatoxin contamination

UNION, MO, USA – Romer Labs, a leading global food-safety diagnostic company, said it has the only test kit on the market that can provide quantitative aflatoxin results from 1 - 5000 ppb in less than 5 minutes.

This month USDA/GIPSA extended the official quantification range for the FluoroQuant Afla to 5-1000 ppb, according to a USDA memorandum released in early August 2012.

“We have seen very high aflatoxin levels in corn due to this year’s weather conditions. One sample we received from a Midwest corn-producer showed 3000 pbb aflatoxins, and this was no exception!” says Michael Prinster, CEO of Romer Labs North America.

According to US regulations, aflatoxin can be toxic to humans at over 20 ppb, but can be fed to some livestock up to 300 ppb. Extreme aflatoxin contamination risk, high commodity prices and a global shortage of corn make it crucial for elevators to separate corn appropriately.

GIPSA (Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration) has approved official use of FluoroQuant Afla up to 1000 ppb without supplemental analysis

“A five-minute-solution that can quantify aflatoxins in corn in such a wide range makes life a lot easier for elevator operators,” said Steve Nenonen, Romer Labs’ North American Sales director. “The range extension by GIPSA is also important news for farmers who have to test every truck load they are claiming on their crop insurance, in order to find acceptable corn for feed in bad fields.”

FluoroQuant Afla is a direct fluorometric test method first launched in the US grain market in 1995. Over the last decade, the test kit has been continuously improved without changing the principle of the method. This test kit is an extremely robust method and contains all the disposables that are needed to run the test. It can be performed in less than five minutes and quantification is done with the state-of-the-art FQ-Reader?.