Press Release: Romer Lab, launched two new test kits for gluten

About Romer Labs:

Romer Labs, founded in Washington, MO, in 1982, is a leader in diagnostic solutions for food and feed safety. It develops, manufacturers and markets test kits for food allergens, mycotoxins, veterinary drug residues and other food contaminants. The company also operates four accredited full-service laboratories on three continents. Romer Labs has facilities in Austria, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Singapore, UK and the USA. For more than 30 years, Romer Labs has been a trusted partner for the food and feed industry worldwide.

Romer Labs, a food-safety diagnostic company, has launched two new test kits for gluten, thereby expanding its product portfolio for food allergens. The AgraStrip® Gluten G12 is a lateral flow device for onsite factory testing and the AgraQuant® Gluten G12 is an ELISA for quantitative testing in the laboratory. Romer Labs is showcasing the new products, along with their complete product range, at the 2012 Food Safety Summit taking place April 17-19, 2012 in Washington DC. The company is especially proud to announce an educational session featuring world renowned gluten-expert, Dr. Alessio Fasano during the summit. He will give a presentation on celiac disease and gluten sensitivity and the importance of testing for gluten in food products.

The brand-new test kits use Romer Labs proprietary gluten detection technology, which employs a next generation antibody, called G12. The method represents a quantum leap in gluten detection as it targets the most immunotoxic proteins for those intolerant to gluten. This approach should be considered to be closer to the ideal of a food safety test as it establishes the important link between celiac disease and the detection of the immunotoxic peptides in food. The G12 antibody is also more reliable for processed food such as cookies or baby food, as it determines the pathogenic component of the sample, independently to what grade the ingredients have been modified during the manufacturing process.

The AgraStrip® Gluten G12 kit has an adjustable cut-off level for qualitative screening at either: 5 ppm, 10 ppm or 20 ppm gluten while the AgraQuant® Gluten G12 ELISA quantitates levels of gluten between 4 and 200 ppm. Both kits will improve gluten detection, supporting controls and labeling.

For further information, contact:

Erica Welker
Food Safety Sales Manager
Romer Labs, Inc.
+1 636-744-3303
erica.welker@romerlabs.com

Research: Effect of yeast protein on piglet intestines

Australian scientists studied the use of nucleotides, vitamins and functional amino acids to enhance the structure of the small intestine and circulating measures of immune function in the post-weaned piglet. Ninety individually-housed castrated pigs (Large White × Landrace × Duroc mixed crossbred, n = 18) were used in a randomized block experiment to determine the effect of yeast protein concentrate (YPC) or its major active components, nucleotides (NCL), inositol (INS), and glutamate (GLU), on pig performance, indices of gut structure and circulating measures of immune function.

Results
Daily gain and feed intake were not affected by diet, however pigs fed the YPC diet had a lower feed conversion ratio compared to those fed the control (CON), INS and NCL diets in the feeding period. Villous height in the duodenum was increased in pigs that received the YPC diet compared to the CON and INS diets. In addition, immunoglobulin G levels were increased in pigs that received the INS and GLU diets compared to the CON and NCL diet on day 21. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

USA Rice issues report on gluten-free product market

USA Rice Federation released the March issue of The Rice Advisor (member log-in required), monthly research report on trends for products using rice as an ingredient. This edition gives a snapshot of the gluten free market, including rice product categories, top manufacturers of gluten free products, and opportunities for rice in the market.

Increased awareness of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity has led to significant growth in the gluten free product market. Gluten-free food and beverages reached sales of 2.64 billion in 2010, a 30 percent increase since 2006 according to a recent Packaged Facts study, and are projected to grow to US$5.6 billion by 2015. As a prominent ingredient in gluten-free products, rice will continue to benefit from growth of the market.

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.