Abstracts of the following reports are available on request:

- Proficiency Test 02151 Chloramphenicol in Milk Powder
- Proficiency Test 02169 Chloramphenicol in Prawn
- Proficiency Test 02165 Nitrofuran Metabolites in Chicken Muscle (AHD)
- Proficiency Test 02171 Nitrofuran Metabolites in Prawn
- Proficiency Test 1795 Ochratoxin A in Wine
- Proficiency Test 1798 Ochratoxin A in Animal Feed
- Proficiency Test 2270 T-2 and HT-2 in Oat Flour (Toxin)
- Proficiency Test 04180 Aflatoxin M1 in Milk Powder
- Proficiency Test 2785 Allergens in Cake Mix (Gluten)

A poster on Marine Biotoxins was presented:

Okadoic acid causes Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP). Symptoms in humans are diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The EU has established a regulatory limit of 160 μg/kg (ppb). Saxitoxin and other related toxins cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) which may result in respiratory paralysis and death, when no respiratory support is provided. The EU regulatory limit for PSP toxins is 800 μg/kg (ppb). Domoic acid is a neurotoxin that causes Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). Within 24 hours upon consumption gastrointestinal symptoms occur followed by neurological damage, memory loss, brain damage and in the worst scenario death. The regulatory limit for this toxin is set at 20 mg/kg (ppm).

In cooperation with CER EuroProxima BV has developed Shellfish Toxin Elisa kits for Saxitoxin, Domoic acid and Okadoic acid. The kit performance characteristics which are based on a Fast Testing Procedure are as follows:

Productcodes: 5191SAXI, 5191DOMO and 5191OKA

Nitrofurans are broad spectrum antibiotics which have been effectively used for treatment of gastrointestinal infections. Moreover Nitrofurans have been used as growth promoters in livestock. After uptake Nitrofurans are rapidly metabolized in stable protein bound molecules. The four major Nitrofurans and their respective metabolites are: Furaltadone (AMOZ), Furazolidone (AOZ), Nitrofurantoin (AHD) and Nitrofurazone (SEM).

The use of Nitrofurans is banned in food producing animals due to their toxic and suspected carcinogenic properties. Nitrofuran parent molecules are metabolized within a few hours after uptake. The EU has established a Minimum Required Performance Limit (MPRL) of 1 ppb for the four metabolites:  AMOZ, AOZ, SEM and AHD (2003/181/EC).

The protein bound metabolites are stable and can be released by acid hydrolysis, after which the residues can be quantified in the individual ELISA kits. Testing for the presence of Nitrofurans is therefore equivalent to testing for the presence of the free metabolites.

Kit characteristics: 

Matrices: milk, honey, egg, egg powder, shrimps, tissue, liver, urine

Derivation for all four metabolites with the same procedure and reagents included in the kit.

The product codes: 5091AMOZ, 5091AOZ, 5091AHD, 5091SEM.

With the fluoroquinolones ELISA (5101FLUQG) we introduced the first “generic” fluoroquinolones ELISA. With our new broad spectrum kit (5101FLUQII) we fulfill the increased demands from the (Asian) market. In the table the cross- reactivities of the antibodies used in the respective assay are presented.

* Community MRL established ranging from 100 to 1000 ppb depending on species and matrix

* LOD (Limit of Detection), validation according SANCO/1085/2000

The new broad spectrum kit is available under order nr. 5101FLUQII

The use of antibacterial growth promoters (AGP’s) Zinc Bacitracin, Spiramycin, Tylosin, Virginiamycin and Olaquindox in feeding stuffs has been prohibited in the EU since 1998.
These AGP’s are also prohibited in bee industry and there is a zero tolerance level for honey.

Virginiamycin and Olaquindox are not allowed for therapeutic use and for Tylosin and Bacitracin MRL levels have been established. The MRL for Bacitracin in cow milk is 100 ppb. For Tylosin there are MRL’s for all Food producing species: 50 ppb in milk, 100 ppb in tissues and 200 ppb in egg.

In 2006 we introduced the Multi-AGP ELISA for the combined detection of five AGP’s in one kit. The demand for lower detection levels and increased specificity in different matrices has urged us to make individual kits for the different drugs.

We now introduce three individual competitive ELISA kits for the detection of respectively:
Bacitracin, Tylosin and Virginiamycin. A kit for Olaquindox will be available soon.

Bacitracin ELISA
Application: Urine samples can be analyzed after a simple dilution in buffer. The Limit of Detection in urine is 20 – 30 ppb. The antibody used in this test is 100% specific for Bacitracin and no cross reactivity with other antibiotics has been observed. Validation report BAC[val02]04.10

Virginiamycin ELISA
Application: Urine samples can be analyzed after a simple dilution in buffer. The Limit of Detection in urine is 14 ppb . The antibody used in this test is 100% specific for Virginiamycin and no cross reactivity with other antibiotics has been observed. Validation report VIG[val01]03.10

Tylosin ELISA
Application : For urine, milk and honey Limit of Detections of respectively 27, 3 and 1 ppb were fixed. The antibody used in this assay has a 100% cross reactivity for Tylosin A and 36% for Tylosin B. No cross reactivity with other antibiotics was observed. Validation report TYL[val01]04.10

With these three new kits and the forthcoming Olaquindox ELISA we offer a unique panel for the detection of these partly prohibited Antibacterial Growth Promoters

IAC has become a valuable tool in residue analysis and is often used in routine analysis. The specificity of IAC depends on a number of factors including cross-reactivity, aspecific binding on solid support and the conditions during loading and elution. In some applications, a mixture of antibodies is used to broaden the specificity of IAC (multi-immunoaffinity chromatography (MIAC)).
The IAC capacity is dependent upon the amount and quality of antibodies immobilised. Matrix effects is another important factor determining the capacity of a column.

EuroProxima now offers a full range of (multi-) immunoaffinity columns for sample matrix clean-up for Anabolic Steroids, Beta-Agonists, Corticosteroids and Chloramphenicol.

For any further questions or to order please send an e-mail to info@europroxima.com or a fax to: +31 26 364 51 11.