Banned substance furazolidone (AOZ) detected in shrimp at French border
Banned substance furazolidone (AOZ) detected in shrimp at French border
14 April 2021: Banned substance furazolidone (AOZ) detected in shrimp at French border
As per an alert through RASFF – the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed for the EU, shrimp imported from India has been rejected at the French border in March 2021 for containing a banned substance, known as furazolidone (AOZ). The shrimp product has since been destroyed and did not make it into the market for distribution.
Nitrofuran antibiotics, the parent compound of AOZ, were banned for use in animal food production in the EU in 1995 and 2009 in the US for its reported carcinogenic and mutagenic characteristics. However due to the drugs low cost and effectiveness in controlling disease it is still in use despite the ban.
Randox Food Diagnostics
Randox Food Diagnostics have developed a highly accurate and reliable immunoassay array which detects Nitrofuran residues including AOZ, AMOZ, AHD and SEM.
Available on the Evidence Investigator, our Antimicrobial Array III utilises our patented Biochip Array Technology which provides screening of up to 54 meat and seafood samples. The Evidence Investigator provides results for multiple drug residues and toxins in just 2.5 hours, saving the user both time and money compared to other screening and confirmatory methods.
Randox Food Diagnostics also provide a vast variety of ELISA kits to test for antibiotics in meat and seafood tissue, offering excellent cross-reactivity and unrivalled limits of detection. With results providing great correlation with confirmatory methods, we ensure that better science means safer food.
Want to know more?
For more information on tissue screening methods from Randox Food Diagnostics please visit the links below.
www.randoxfood.com/meat-and-seafood-analysis/
Alternatively contact us via email: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
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Dog Food Recalled Due to Potentially Unsafe Levels of Aflatoxin
Dog Food Recalled Due to Potentially Unsafe Levels of Aflatoxin
The importance of screening food for toxins has been highlighted this month with the recent news that Midwestern Pet Foods Inc. have extended their product recall after reports that the pet food has potentially caused the deaths of 70 dogs due to containing possibly unsafe levels of aflatoxin.
The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement that it has been “aware of more than 70 dogs that have died and more than 80 that are sick after eating Sportmix pet food.”
Aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced by two species of Aspergillus, a fungus which is especially found in areas with hot and humid climates. Aflatoxins have a wide occurrence in feed and cereals, such as wheat, barley, rice and corn, which are used as ingredients in pet food. At high levels, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in animals.
Midwestern Pet Foods first announced a voluntary recall on Dec. 30, extending it last week. “There have been reports of illnesses and deaths in dogs associated with certain lots of products. No human illnesses have been reported,” the company said in a recall announcement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have expanded this recall to cover all corn products containing pet foods with expiration dates prior to 07/09/22.”
Aflatoxin poisoning can display in animals with symptoms such as sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice and diarrhoea.
The expanded recall includes “additional corn-containing lot codes of Sportmix, Pro Pac Originals, Splash, Sportstrail, and Nunn Better dry dog and cat foods” that were produced in its Oklahoma manufacturing plant. A full list of recalled products can be found here.
Randox Food Diagnostics
Randox provide solutions to the agricultural industry by having developed a range of screening platforms for toxins and drug residues within feed and cereals. Multiple mycotoxins can affect crops and drug residues can pass through to feed causing adverse health effects in both humans and animals.
Myco 9 facilitates the detection of up to 9 common mycotoxins from a single sample of cereal or cereal based feed, including aflatoxin B1/B2, aflatoxin G1/G2, deoxynivalenol, diacetoxyscirpenol, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, paxilline, T2 toxin & zearalenone.
For more information on the antibiotic screening arrays available contact us at: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
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India Must Stop Misusing Antibiotics in Dairy Sector, According to CSE Report
India Must Stop Misusing Antibiotics in Dairy Sector, According to CSE Report
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has raised concerns over whether the milk we consume is safe. Hosting a virtual meeting in July, the CSE discussed the use of antibiotics with the world’s largest producer of milk, India. Over 188 million tonnes of milk was produced by India over the period of 2018-2019 and lead with 22% of global milk production.
A recent assessment by the CSE has found indication of antibiotic abuse in milk producing cattle.
“We have found that antibiotics are extensively misused in the dairy sector; antibiotic residues remain largely untested in milk, an integral part of Indian diets, particularly of children,” said CSE Director General Sunita Narain. “While we continue to struggle against COVID-19, we are staring at another pandemic like situation – that of antibiotic resistance fueled by the way we are producing our food, which has become chemical-intensive.”
Antibiotics such as penicillin, aminoglycosides and fluroquinolones are being ‘indiscriminately’ used by dairy farmers according to the CSE. These antibiotics are among the most important in human health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned as we face growing concerns over an antibiotic resistance, such antibiotics should be preserved.
Despite laws stating that antibiotics should only be prescribed and administered by a registered veterinarian, the CSE said that some farmers are illegally attaining and injecting animals themselves without the supervision of veterinarians.
“Farmers often sell milk while the animal is under treatment, which increases the chances of antibiotic residues in the milk,” explained Amit Khurana, the CSE’s Food Safety and Toxins Programme Director. “While milk sold directly to consumers is not tested, contrary to what one would expect, processed milk sold in packets is also largely unchecked for antibiotic residues.
“This explains why, despite pooling and processing, packed milk samples from several states had antibiotic residues in the FSSAI’s [Food Safety and Standards Authority of India] milk quality survey of 2018.”
However, CSE noted the virtual meeting has encouraged positive signs of action in the diary industry in India.
“The issues highlighted by the CSE assessment have been well recognised by the experts and stakeholders. These experts have also recommended several measures for minimising antibiotic misuse in the Indian dairy sector.”
In order to minimise the threat of antibiotic resistance, the CSE have recommended “preventative measures” such as;
- Routine observation of drugs residues in milk
- Modifying the existing standards for antibiotic residues in milk
- Limiting misuse of essential antibiotics such as penicillin
Such measures, Khurana noted, are showing some success. “Information shared by various organisations, agencies and experts suggest that ethno-veterinary medicines, better management of sub-clinical mastitis, and good farm management are contributing towards reducing antibiotic misuse.”
“India is now talking about antibiotic resistance in the one-health perspective,” noted Narain. “There is a shared concern, and all voices are now together in expressing that concern.” As such he believes further (and necessary) action will be taken.
“We must ramp up surveillance and testing, put a complete stop to the use of critically important antibiotics and penalise their use,” he added, “and work with farmers and the agriculture-dairy sectors to innovate on solutions.”
Randox Food Diagnostics
Randox Food Diagnostics recognise the pressure the dairy industry is under to mass produce high quality products whilst complying with regulations and have developed the solution. A comprehensive range of easy to use, accurate milk analysis methods for the qualitative and quantitative detection of contaminants in milk.
With 6 Biochip arrays available including the revolutionary InfiniPlex for Milk, Randox Food provide the highest quality testing platforms for the screening of antimicrobials and are the only commercial supplier of a multiplexing anthelmintics array in milk.
Biochip Array Technology saves time and money whilst enabling users to get a deeper insight into milk quality and ensure a safe supply chain.
Contact us at info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com, or visit https://www.randoxfood.com/milk-analysis/ to find out more about our milk testing solutions.
Want to know more?
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Evidence Investigator: One Analyser for Multiple Food Testing Industries
28 September 2020
The Randox Evidence Investigator: One Analyser for Multiple Food Diagnostic Industries
The Randox Evidence Investigator has been validated for Randox Food Diagnostics across various food matrices including tissue, feed and cereals, honey, aquaculture, and milk, making it the perfect testing equipment solution for any food testing laboratory.
How can the Randox Evidence Investigator benefit me?
- The Randox Evidence Investigator is a multi-analyte quantitative drug residue screening analyser. Using Randox’s patented Biochip Technology, the analyser ensures screening food for drug residues is accurate and efficient, offering a range of laboratories comparable results to LC-MS/MS.
- Using multiplex technology, the Evidence Investigator can provide simultaneous detection for a wide range of analytes from a single sample, saving you time and resource, and getting the reliable results you need.
- The analyser uses unique image processing software to translate the Relative Light Units (RLU) generated from the chemiluminescent reactions into an analyte concentration.
- No manipulation of results is required, which reduces the scope for any operator error. The Randox Evidence Investigator provides excellent sensitivity with a quantitative concentration result (ppb) for each analyte tested.
- The analyser boasts an extensive test menu with tests for the most widely used drug residues and the most commonly detected mycotoxins in the feed production industry.
- When purchasing the Randox Evidence Investigator, you will receive the complete package required for sample analysis which includes the analyser, PC and imaging software, a thermoshaker and a barcode scanner.
Visit the Randox Food Diagnostics website for more information on this technology.
For all enquiries relating to food testing on any of our Randox analysers, please contact us via email at: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
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Preparing Your Vineyard for Harvest: A Randox Food Diagnostics Blog
28 August 2020
Preparing your vineyard for harvest: Excellence in every glass
Each year from August through October and maybe a little later, the Northern Hemisphere comes alive with the excitement and rush of harvest as wine makers celebrate with festivals, dinners and get together as the yearlong grape growing season comes to an end and harvest begins.
Producing the highest quality wine grapes is dependent upon many factors – mainly the right amount of sun and rain. The growing process can be stressful for winemakers as they anxiously keep a close eye on weather conditions, in hope that it’s clear of frosts, heatwaves and hail. These can all have detrimental impacts on the vineyard.
However, this year it hasn’t been weather conditions that have been a worry for winemakers. Instead, many vineyards have been significantly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and events that once brought life to local communities and vineyards are now taking place online. Channels for selling wine such as hotels, restaurants and airports have dried up with current restrictions, and online and supermarket sales have never been more important.
Like many industries the food and beverage sector has continued to operate through one of the most challenging times. Using a combination of expert knowledge and technology has ensured that the expectation put upon winemakers to create excellent wine is regularly achieved even in the toughest conditions.
Did you know that a wide range of elements are measured to ensure perfection in every bottle, including levels of acidity and sugar ripeness relevant to the desired style of wine? Technology has been giving winemakers a helping hand in ensuring the quality of each harvest for many years including Randox Food‘s RX misano – a compact, fast and efficient benchtop spectrophotometer capable of gaining results in 8-15 minutes.
For more information please visit Randox Food Diagnostics or email: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
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Ergot Alkaloids ELISA now available from Randox Food Diagnostics
28 July 2020
Ergot Alkaloid ELISA now available from Randox Food Diagnostics
Available now, the Randox Food Diagnostics Ergot Alkaloid ELISA (Catalogue Number EA3491) is:
Compliant with the lowest proposed maximum levels being considered by the European Commission for the total of 12 main ergot alkaloids applicable from July 2020, including the stricter drafted limits from July 2022, for cereal-based feed, wheat and rye milling products.
Accurately detects the sum of 12 main ergot alkaloids to test the most affected type of cereal – rye flour. Randox’s ELISA results show an excellent 95% correlation with the assigned concentration within FAPAS Proficiency Test scheme.
Unrivalled in the detection of low contamination levels. The Z-score of FAPAS PT of -0.6 for baby multigrain food was obtained using Randox Ergot Alkaloids ELISA.
Validated based on Commission Regulation (EC) No 519/2014 as a semi-quantitative screening method for cereal-based feed, wheat and rye milling products. The same regulation was followed for fit-for-purpose approach assessment for confirmatory method, which approves Randox Ergot Alkaloids ELISA as being a method for official control. It is successfully assessed by fit-for-purpose approach according to Commission Regulation (EC) No 401/2006 as approved method of analysis.
Evaluated by third-party laboratory (Wageningen Food Safety research / WFSR, 2019) and proved to be able to distinguish between negative and positive samples. Randox’s ELISA displayed no false-negatives and no false-positives in this study. Across all commercially available ELISA tests, Randox Food Diagnostics Ergot Alkaloids ELISA was the only test which showed good performance with all 3 sample types, including 11 matrices and a total of 24 samples.
Reference reports are available upon request.
For more information visit https://www.randoxfood.com/feed-and-cereals-analysis/ergot-alkaloids/ or email us directly at info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
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Randox in Top 10 2019 European Food and Beverage Technology Providers
20 December 2019
Randox in Top 10 Food and Beverage Technology Providers in Europe 2019
Randox in Top 10 Food and Beverage Technology Providers in Europe 2019
Randox Food Diagnostics have been selected as one of the Top 10 Food and Beverage Technology solution providers in Europe for 2019.
The news was announced in an article in the Food and Beverage Technology Review magazine, which highlighted companies at the forefront of technological developments in the food and beverage industry.
The magazine’s editorial board assessed and shortlisted some of the most prominent organisations in the industry that solve challenges by implementing the current technological trends in the space, and nominated Randox in the top 10 in an article entitled; “Randox: Bringing Diagnostics to the Food Industry.”
The article highlights the history of Randox, which was established by our Managing Director Dr Peter FitzGerald in 1982. We traditionally focused on placing our diagnostics technologies in the likes of hospitals, laboratories and veterinary clinics, however in recent years have utilised our expertise in diagnostic technology to diversify into another key area of healthcare – food safety.
Our Randox Food Diagnostics division offers the latest and most comprehensive diagnostic technologies to food producers across a range of industries including meat, seafood, dairy, honey and cereals, to ensure food safety and satisfy customer demand.
Our patented Randox Biochip Array Technology can provide screening of up to 54 food samples providing results for drug residues and toxins within 3 hours, saving both time and money for clients. The Randox Biochip facilitates simultaneous detection of multiple drug residues or pathogens including antibiotic, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, growth promoter, and mycotoxin diagnostics.
“With faster, simpler and more efficient testing, Randox Biochip increases efficiency within producer processes and, within the market place, increases consumer confidence, a reason why leading food producers, as well as hospitals, laboratories, toxicology centres, and health clinics, utilise Randox products,” says Dr Peter FitzGerald.
Most recently we unveiled the Randox Infiniplex; a biochip for milk testing which allows milk testing laboratories to carry out multiple tests simultaneously on a single milk sample.
“Our Infiniplex array greatly differs from other milk residue tests as it uses multiplexing technology that reduces our customers’ testing time to four hours and requires a small sample volume (25μl),” says Kerrie McAuley, VP of Marketing, Randox Food Diagnostics.
Randox Food is also working on pesticides arrays for milk and honey, and additionally a Bovine Pathogen Array to branch out into animal health and wellbeing screening in milk for viruses such as bovine diarrhoea.
To find out more about what we offer at Randox Food Diagnostics click here or email enquiries@randoxfooddiagnostics.com.
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Randox Food Diagnostics to attend Apimondia 2019 in Montreal
Randox Food Diagnostics will be attending Apimondia 2019 in Montreal, Canada from the 8th – 12th September.
Apimondia is the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Association. Its major objective is to facilitate the exchange of information and discussions within the honey industry by organising seminars where beekeepers, scientists, honey-traders, agents for development, technicians and legislators meet to listen, discuss and learn from one another.
In order to help the honey industry Randox Food Diagnostics have developed Biochip Array Technology. Biochip allows for the detection of multiple antibiotics / antimicrobials / pesticides from a single honey sample.
Antibiotics such as oxytetracycline are essential for the control of bacterial diseases of agricultural plants. Most applications are by spray treatments in orchards therefore bees collecting nectar from treated plants causes antibiotic residues to transfer to the honey.
It has previously been idenitified that antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be found in the guts of insects feeding on a variety of plants, which are not exposed to significant levels of antibiotics in other forms. K Ignasiak 2016 Insects are responsible for the pollination of most flowering plants. Importantly, insects have an economic role, as domesticated pollinators bees alone contribute between $1.6 and $5.7 billion to US agriculture alone. This exposure to antibiotic residues can cause adverse health effects in humans via honey consumption and in the long term create antibiotic resistance within the entire food chain.
Randox offer a vast number of arrays for the detection of antimicrobials in honey including: sulphonamides, trimethoprim, dapsone, Quinolones, streptomycin, tetracyclines, erythromycin, nitroimidazoles and many more. Our Biochip platform enables the user to run up to 54 honey samples on the Evidence Investigator analyser in under 2 hours 30 minutes, allowing the user to consolidate costs and time.
See our full range of arrays for the detection of antibiotics on Biochip Array Technology:
Stop by booth B1 at Apimondia to find out about the Randox Food Diagnostics range of products for the screening of antibiotics in honey.
For further information please email info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
Why is testing for Acetic Acid important in winemaking?
Acetic Acid in winemaking
When it comes to winemaking, the acidity in wine is an important component for the quality and taste. It adds a sharpness to the flavours and is detected most readily by a prickling sensation on the sides of the tongue and a mouth-watering aftertaste.
Acetic acid is a two-carbon organic acid produced in wine during or after the fermentation period. It is the most volatile of the primary acids associated with wine and is responsible for the sour taste of vinegar.
During fermentation, activity by yeast cells naturally produces a small amount of acetic acid. If the wine is exposed to oxygen, Acetobacter bacteria will convert the ethanol into acetic acid. This process is known as the “acetification” of wine and is the primary process behind wine degradation into vinegar.
Randox Food Diagnostics offer multiple tests for wine analysis including Acetic Acid on both the RX misano and the RX monaco.
Acetic Acid
| Method | Sensitivity | Linearity |
| Manual | N/A | 0.3 g/l |
| RX misano | 0.117 g/l | Conc. Of standard |
| RX Monaco | 0.03 g/l | Conc. Of standard |
For more information about our food testing for winemaking please contact us at: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
NHS rolls out electronic prescription in the fight against antibiotic resistance
The NHS are rolling out electronic prescribing in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
A recent article in the Telegraph newspaper reports that;
“Health chiefs have drawn up the plans amid warnings that antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat as climate change.”
Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care UK will be informing attendees of the World Economic Forum in Davos that “we are on the cusp of a world where a simple graze could be deadly”. He has stated that it needs to be treated as a “global health emergency” and wants to cut the use of drugs across the country by 15% by setting targets.
The head of the NHS Mr Simon Stevens, said that; “much of the change would be achieved by the rollout electronic prescribing across the health service.” This would allow health officials to detect areas that are prescribing the most antibiotics so that they can try and persuade medics to cut down.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “The increase in antibiotic resistance is a threat we cannot afford to ignore.
“Government data shows that, since 2014, the UK has cut the amount of antibiotics it uses by more than 7 per cent and sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals has dropped by 40 per cent.”
The NHS antimicrobial resistance (AMR) report 2015 stated:
“The amount of antimicrobials used in food production internationally is at least the same as that in humans, and in some places is higher. For example, in the US more than 70% of antibiotics that are medically important for humans are used in animals.
“When properly used, antibiotics are essential for treating infections in animals, but excessive and inappropriate use of the drugs is a problem.
A considerable amount of antibiotics are used in healthy animals to prevent infection or speed up their growth. This is particularly the case in intensive farming, where animals are kept in confined conditions.”
In order to help the fight against AMR Randox Food Diagnostics are constantly researching and developing new ways to screen for antibiotics across wine, honey, meat, seafood, dairy, feed and cereals.
Randox Food Diagnostics have developed Biochip Array Technology a multiplexing platform which allows the screening of up to 54 food/feed samples for a large range of antibiotics in under 3 hours on the Randox Evidence Investigator analyser.
To find out more information on how Biochip Array Technology works visit our website at: www.randoxfood.com
Or contact us directly at: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
