The ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative test kit, from diagnostic test manufacturer Charm Sciences, is the first lateral flow quantitative test to be approved for official testing of fumonisin. Claimed to be the fastest test available for fumonisin, Charm’s detection kit is said to deliver economical, accurate results from a 10-minute assay time.
Comprising a detection system in a single strip, quantitative readings and a detection range from 0 to 6 ppm provide accurate results to comply with both domestic and export testing standards.“The Charm ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative Test helps ensure the safety of the food chain by enabling growers, processors and regulators to validate that grain and feed conform to specified or recommended limits for fumonisin,” said Mark Tess, mycotoxin product manager at Charm Sciences.
Toxic feed syndrome
Fumonisins are produced by naturally occurring mycotoxin fusarium moulds including F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum. These toxins have been linked to human esophageal cancer, equine leukoencephalomalacia and toxic feed syndrome in poultry, and pulmonary edema in pigs. Fumonisin B1 is a mycotoxin produced by the fungus Fusarium moniliforme, one of the major species found in corn.
The ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative kit is the tenth Charm mycotoxin test to receive approval from United States Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Association (GIPSA).
After evaluating the test GIPSA concluded that: “The test kit underwent an initial Type Evaluation…and was found to meet all the design and test performance criteria…for Fumonisins B1, B2 and B3.”
All ROSA mycotoxin tests can be run on the same equipment and follow a similar assay format. This provides an efficient and economical way to detect and quantify mycotoxins in feed and grain, according to Charm Sciences.
Maize-based food
As assessment of fumonisins from the British Food Standards Agency warns of their high toxicity: “Fumonisin mycotoxins frequently occur in maize that is intended for food production in the UK. These mycotoxins are regularly detected in maize-based foods. Quantitative analysis of these toxins is difficult, with analytical results prone to vary between laboratories, sometimes by orders of magnitude.
“It is important that the methods used for the surveillance of mycotoxins give an accurate measure of the amount of that mycotoxin in the raw material or foods tested, so that people's exposure to that toxin can be determined accurately and managed. “