New Vomitoxin Screening Tool Delivers Fast Results to Grain and Feed Producers

VICAM,  a Waters Company and a world leader in food safety diagnostics, announced the launch of its first-generation screening tool for Deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat, corn and barley, and common staple ingredients used to produce animal feeds.  The DONCheck^TM Test Kit is a lateral flow test kit that was designed for use in the field by growers of grain or producers of livestock or by laboratory technicians, and requires no specialized training or skills to use.  With results in as little as three minutes, feed ingredients can be managed and bin contamination avoided using the DONCheck kit, VICAM's pioneer product in rapid DON screening.

"The main reason for testing DON in feeds is economics - including liability, bad feed efficiency, toxic effects, low growth rates and lost feed value when contamination is found, not to mention that ingredients as well as finished feeds must be disposed of," said Marjorie Radlo, General Manager and Director of Operations, VICAM.

Improved testing methods allow for better screening of raw materials before they are added to feeds, protecting the value of finished feeds and the resources needed to formulate and manufacture them.

Deoxynivalenol (DON,) also known as a vomitoxin, is a fungal toxin well known for its toxic effects on the gastrointestinal system of livestock.  Toxic even at very low concentrations of 1-3 parts-per-million (ppm) DON is produced by several Fusarium mold species and may occur in wheat, corn, barley, oats, rye, and less often in rice, sorghum and triticale.  Consumption of DON results in an overall decrease in performance of livestock animals, primarily due to feed refusal and vomition.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established a level of 1ppm for human consumption, as well as recommended levels for specific livestock according to their ability to tolerate the presence of DON.

DONCheck^TM Test Kits are available from VICAM and its worldwide network of distributors.

For information on VICAM's rapid test kits for aflatoxins, citrinin, DON, fumonisins, ochratoxin, T-2, T-2/HT-2, zearalanone or our combination columns, please contact the company through the link provided below.

VICAM, a Waters Company (NYSE:WAT), is a world-leading provider of mycotoxin testing solutions. Since 1985, VICAM has been dedicated to developing USDA- and AOAC-approved rapid tests for mycotoxins. VICAM's mycotoxin test kits offer a choice of HPLC or fluorometric detection methods for reliable quantitative detection of a wide variety of mycotoxins. Around the world, VICAM products are used with confidence by customers who trust our commitment to extending the value of those products with unmatched service and support. We guarantee satisfaction with expert technical assistance and top-of-the-line customer care through a global scientific and distribution network that develops, markets, sells, and services our products in more than 100 countries.