AgraQuant® DON ELISA Test Kit granted USDA/GIPSA and AOAC Approval

Romer Labs® is pleased to announce that its AgraQuant® DON ELISA Test Kit for the detection of Deoxynivalenol (Vomitoxin) was recently granted Performance Tested Status by the AOAC Research Institute (AOAC-RI No. 110701).

Additionally the USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has verified the performance of the AgraQuant® DON Test Kit and approval was granted for official use at US National Grain Inspection Facilities (FGIS 2008-101).

The AgraQuant® DON is a simple ELISA test kit that quantifies Deoxynivalenol within a range of 0.25 and 5 ppm in grain and other commodities.

The Fusarium graminearum fungus is the principal producer of deoxynivalenol, also known as DON or vomitoxin, in grains. It survives on old, infected residue left on the field from the previous growing season. DON is a known immunosuppressant and may cause kidney problems in humans.

In addition, it often affects swine by causing a decrease in grain consumption. DON is one of the most widely regulated mycotoxins in the world.

Occurrence of Deoxynivalenol (DON)

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin produced by fungi of the Fusarium genus, i.e. Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum, which are abundant in various cereal crops (wheat, maize, barley, oats, and rye) and processed grains (malt, beer and bread). Chemically it belongs to trichothecenes. In contaminated cereals 3- and 15-acetyl DON can occur in significant amounts (10 – 20%) concomitantly with DON. The fungi producing trichothecenes are soil fungi, and are important plant pathogens which grow on the crop in the field.¹

Romer Labs®, founded in Washington, MO, in 1982, is a major player in diagnostic solutions for mycotoxins and GMO. The company has facilities in Austria, Brazil, Singapore and the USA and analytical service labs on three continents. Since more than 25 years Romer Labs® has been a trusted partner for the Agri-Food industry worldwide.

¹ European Commission, Scientific committee on food; Opinion on Fusarium Toxins, Part 1: Deoxynivalenol. SCF/CS/CNTM/MYC/19 Final 09/12/99