Hygiena recently announced that the company has acquired Helica BioSystems, Inc., based in Santa Ana, CA.
Helica specializes in the development of enzyme-linked immuno-assays (ELISA) that can detect mycotoxins, a family of highly toxic chemicals that are naturally emitted by specific fungi which are a persistent problem in dairy, grain, feed, food, and beverage products. Maximum acceptable levels of mycotoxins are very low (in the parts per billion range) due to their extreme toxicity, and the toxins can cause a variety of health problems such as liver cancer, kidney complications, stunting in children, and many other conditions.