Randox Food Diagnostics is set to unveil a generic Tetracyclines ELISA screening kit based on Biochip Array Technology for veterinary residue testing.The company will launch the ELISA kit by the end of this month to complement its existing multiplex arrays. The kit will be initially launched for the honey market and the validations for meat, seafood and dairy products will be followed immediately.
Tetracycline is a polyketide antibiotic produced by the Streptomyces genus of Actinobacteria and is used for reducing bacterial infections across all food producing animals.
According to Randox Food Diagnostics, the antibiotic is used in major markets including China, India and Mexico within Apiculture and the initial demand for the ELISA is expected to come from these regions.
Randox Food Diagnostics business manager Aaron Tohill said that although Biochip Array Technology is trusted as a leading screening test for Tetracyclines within the honey sector, the company is aware that this market, as well as others demands a lower volume solution.
"Reacting to that dynamic this new Immunoassay-based kit provides a cost-effective screening solution for a wide variety of laboratories and we are pleased to add it to our growing array of products," Tohill added.
This development comes in the wake of the recent joint report by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on antimicrobial resistance data among zoonotic and indicator bacteria in 2011, which indicated high resistance to Tetracycline's in Salmonella isolates from humans.
Over the past few years, regulators have been increasingly concerned about developing human antibiotic resistance through the food chain.
In 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised manufacturers to use antibiotics solely for disease control, phasing out growth promotion. In 2011, the European Union (EU) commenced a major study, with those findings published now it is clear that industry can expect further action.
Randox Food Diagnostics, which is an associate of Randox Laboratories, is engaged in the distribution of Randox drug residue kits, wine testing kits and analysers worldwide with several products designed for the food, wine and beverage industries.
