Int’l - DSM unveils novel antibiotics test for milk

A 'next generation' antibiotics test for milk, capable of saving dairy firms and labs time and money, will be launched by Dutch firm DSM this week. DSM said its new Delvotest Accelerator was a fully automated testing system that could provide greater accuracy and cut the time needed to analyse milk by 30-40 per cent. Stringent controls on antibiotics levels in milk across the EU mean dairy firms must be continuously on their guard, and obtain scrupulously accurate results, in order to avoid a potentially costly recall. DSM said its Delvotest Accelerator (DA) was a unique product on the market because of its ability to automatically run tests on milk and continuously upload data, even putting this online if necessary. The test, which is being launched globally, can be left to run overnight and cuts down on stages in the process, compared to traditional methods using water baths. Testing time is around 100 minutes on average. Many existing antibiotics tests currently on the market are also more exposed to a risk of human error. "Changes are detected much faster because DA will continuously scan milk every minute," Freek Crum, business manager at DSM Food Specialties, told. Alexander Wessels, business group director for DSM Food Specialties, said the launch was part of DSM's long-term to "push the boundaries" on innovation. "We have developed this together with our customers," he said, adding that several large dairy firms had reacted positively. The test will be targeted at dairies in developed markets, such as the EU, but also firms in emerging markets, such as China, Wessel said. "This could help emerging countries with their obligation to meet safety standards on the world market." DSM is a global supplier of ingredients, services and products to the food, pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals industries, with an annual turnover of more than €8bn. The group introduced its first Delvotest for antibiotics in milk in 1974.