Neogen develops first water-based solution testing for total aflatoxin

Neogen, a global hub for the agricultural business, has announced the development of the first quantitative microcell test for total aflatoxin.

The test uses only a water-based solution for extraction, completely eliminating the need for methanol and ethanol in the process, and is the first ELISA microcell test to use a water-based extraction procedure.

Aflatoxin is considered by many to be the most potent of all naturally occurring carcinogens. The toxin is a by-product of mold growth in a wide variety of commodities including corn. Neogen's new Varatox for total aflatoxin can deliver results ranging from 5 to 300 parts per billion of aflatoxin after only 10 minutes. The new test detects four main principle types of aflatoxin -- B1, B2, G1 and G2 -- superior in cross-reactivity compared to other available tests.

"Veratox for total aflatoxin delivers precise, fully quantitative test results and eliminates the need to handle and use hazardous materials in the testing process," Ed Bradley, Neon's vice president for food safety, said. "The popular Veratox microcell format also allows the testing of 20 samples at a time, which is a big advantage to high-volume testers who want the advantages of using a water-based extraction method in a high-throughput platform."