Neogen expands line of food allergen test kits

07/09/05 The United States, Neogen has expanded its line of food allergen test kits, already the most comprehensive available, to include screening and quantitative tests for soy flour.

The new tests add to Neogen’s line of food allergen test kits, which includes rapid tests for peanuts, milk, eggs, almonds, and gliadin (gluten). Neogen is the recognized leader in development and marketing of diagnostic tests to detect the inadvertent contamination of food with allergens that are not listed on the ingredient label.

Neogen’s new Veratox® (quantitative) and Alert® (screening) for Soy Flour test kits are in the same formats as its previously released food allergen tests, and utilize similar laboratory equipment. The new tests have received excellent response and consistent results from independent laboratories.

Unlabeled food allergens have been the cause of the majority of food recalls in recent years. While researchers have identified more than 160 foods that contain naturally-occurring proteins that have been shown to cause allergic reactions, researchers also estimate that 90% of all food allergic reactions are caused by just eight common foods: eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, wheat, crustaceans, fish, and tree nuts (e.g., almonds).

Neogen’s new soy flour test kits are intended for the analysis of minimally processed soy flour protein in food ingredients intended for use in prepared foods, such as cookies, crackers, chocolate bars, ice cream, and cereals. The Alert version of the test allows for a simple visual interpretation of a sample’s soy flour protein content compared to provided 5 and 10 parts per million (ppm) controls. The fully quantitative Veratox version provides exact results in the range of 2.5 to 25 ppm.

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, www.farrp.org). 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.

Neogen Corporation 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, ruminant by-products, drug residues, plant diseases and sanitation concerns.

http://www.neogen.com/press_090605.htm