NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Eurofins Scientific, AB Sciex, and Phenomenex are collaborating to develop methods to detect the presence of antibiotic and fungicide residue in animal feed.
The initial result of the deal, which was announced today, is an application for analyzing up to nine antibiotics and four insecticides in poultry feeds, covering five antibiotic drug classes.
In a statement, the firms noted that the use of antibiotics in animals can make their way into the food supply for humans, potentially contributing to an increase in antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Insecticides and pesticides may also be prevalent in animal feeds.
"For a food testing lab, feeds are a notoriously challenging matrix to analyze," John Reuther, president of Eurofins CAL, Eurofins' US Competence Center for Residue and Contaminant Analysis, said in a statement. "By taking a leadership role in the food testing community, we are delivering robust and reliable methods not only to improve the analysis of animal feed but also to provide the best solutions to help our customers in the food and feed industries effectively address the growing industry demands of improved product quality and safety.
"Working together with AB Sciex and Phenomenex gives us the technological capabilities to successfully execute our residue test methods, which ultimately help protect the global food supply," Reuther added.
AB Sciex, a Danaher company, has been developing food testing methods for more than a decade and along with Phenomenex and Eurofins will seek to "improve the accuracy of results at the lowest possible levels of detection in these increasingly complex mixtures," the companies said.
Financial and other terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.