Testing & Analysis

RSS

Part 3 of this Food Safety Insights series on rapid testing asks food safety professionals whether the vast increase in outsourcing of testing to contract labs has made rapid methods less useful, or if the methods' ease of use and speed are still important for better management and decision-making.

AOAC INTERNATIONAL's metals scientific community has formed a working group to review regulations and requirements for metals content in food, and to update the AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements for metals analysis. The working group is also reviewing existing methods based on Codex Alimentarius requirements for metals analysis.
 

Reliable test results for fresh poultry are a prerequisite for targeting interventions and improving processes. This article discusses the ongoing needs of the poultry industry regarding testing, methods, serotyping, and other concerns, including changes to the regulatory landscape.
 

Romer Labs has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (USDA’s FGIS) for its AgraStrip® Pro Ochratoxin A WATEX® test kit, which facilitates the quantitative determination of ochratoxin A in wheat.

Romer Labs has received Performance Tested Methods^SM (PTM) certification from the AOAC Research Institute for its quantitative AgraStrip® Pro Total Aflatoxin WATEX® test kit for corn and peanut paste.

ImagoAI’s Galaxy for Mycotoxins Test, which the company calls the “world’s fastest” with results provided in less than 30 seconds, has achieved Performance Tested Methods^SM (PTM) certification from AOAC International.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its new Integrated Food Safety System Regulatory and Laboratory Training System (IFSS RLTS) Strategic Plan 2024–2028, and will hold a stakeholder call on April 2, 2024.

With funding from the Center for Produce Safety, a researcher from the University of Arizona is exploring the usefulness of a handheld genetic sequencing device for in-field microbial characterization of irrigation water by the produce industry.

Hygiena’s Bax System PCR assay for Escherichia coli O157:H7/NM in raw meat products has been approved by Health Canada.

Researchers recently demonstrated the inadequacy of an industry standard quality test—Laboratory Pasteurization Count—for raw, organic milk, as it cannot sufficiently differentiate between groups of bacteria.