| bioMérieux®
launches its first molecular multi-detection test for food and
feed analysis : FoodExpert-ID™
Marcy l’Etoile, France - February 24, 2004. bioMérieux
announces the launch of FoodExpert-ID, the first high-density
DNA chip for food and animal feed testing. The FoodExpert-ID
test, powered by Affymetrix® GeneChip®
technology, will make it possible to verify the animal species
composition and the authenticity of raw or processed food and
animal feed.
“Our new test, FoodExpert-ID, is a real breakthrough
for the food and feed industries. By providing rapid multi-species
identification, FoodExpert-ID will help to improve the
safety of food for human and animal consumption, thereby contributing
to consumer health protection” says Dr. Christophe Mérieux,
Vice President and Director of Medical Affairs and Research at
bioMérieux.
Changes in food and feed legislation are creating new needs and
imposing new constraints on these industries. FoodExpert-ID
will respond to these requirements by providing accurate labeling
and allowing complete traceability throughout the industrial process,
from animal feed to the end products released from production
sites. The new test will help the food and feed industries comply
with European and US laws and regulations, by determining the
species composition of a product using the latest advances in
molecular biology.
FoodExpert-ID, developed by bioMérieux, is the
first molecular high-density multi-detection test designed specifically
for the food and feed industries. Using highly innovative techniques
and providing extremely accurate results, FoodExpert-ID
will change the way food and feed analysis can be achieved. FoodExpert-ID
is based on a high-density DNA chip, the GeneChip, developed by
Affymetrix, which supports 80,000 oligonucleotide probes specially
designed by bioMérieux. FoodExpert-ID combines
expertise in genetics, DNA technology, image analysis and bio-informatics,
and is the result of a dedicated research program by bioMérieux.
The innovative breakthrough in FoodExpert-ID lies in
the test’s capacity to detect 33 different species of vertebrates,
and to simultaneously identify animal products present in food
and feed samples according to two taxonomic criteria: class (mammals,
fish and birds) and species (beef, chicken, salmon…). Furthermore,
FoodExpert-ID can be used to test raw foods as well as
products processed at high temperatures and pressures, as is the
case for some animal feed. These capabilities, therefore, extend
beyond conventional food analysis techniques, which can detect
only a limited number of species, and which are less reliable
when material from more than one species is combined into a single
product.
The test report generated by the FoodExpert-ID software
is based on the unique DNA signature of the product. This report
constitutes the “Identity Card” of the animal species
entering into the composition of the product, thereby providing
an invaluable tool to ensure labeling accuracy. FoodExpert-ID
contributes to traceability and quality assurance in the food
and feed industry through species identification at every step
of the manufacturing chain “from farm to fork”.
For the first time, FoodExpert-ID provides the answers
to “open-ended questions” concerning the real composition
of food products. It is now possible, for example, not only to
confirm that beef ravioli contains beef, but that they contain
only beef, or to determine whether cod fillet fish fingers really
contain only cod and not any other fish species. In the case of
livestock production, FoodExpert-ID can be used to verify
that feed intended for ruminants contains no animal products,
in compliance with European laws and/or regulations. This new
test will therefore contribute to animal feed safety, and will
help all food chain partners, from farmers to food manufacturers
and retailers, to comply with increasingly stringent food and
feed regulations.
FoodExpert-ID has been validated on more than 500 food and feed
products and government trials are planned to be initiated in
the UK, the Netherlands and France before the end of the year.
About bioMérieux
A global leader in disease prevention and management, bioMérieux
provides assays, reagents and instrumentation for clinical microbiology,
coagulation, immunoassay and nucleic acid diagnostics; and also
for product quality control in the agri-food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical
industries. With sales of 944 million Euros in 2002, bioMérieux
ranks as the eighth-largest biological diagnostics company worldwide.
More than 82% of its activity takes place on an international
level. Investment in research and development represented over
12% of sales in 2002.
Based at Marcy l’Etoile, France, bioMérieux employs
5450 people throughout the world, including 1550 people in the
United States and 3300 in Europe. The Group counts 14 production
sites distributed in the United States, Europe and Brazil.
bioMérieux INDUSTRY provides product solutions to quality
control and research microbiology laboratories. Applications served
include environmental monitoring, sterility testing, pathogen
screening, quality indicators, microbial identification, quality
control organisms, microbial limits and preservative effectiveness
testing.
About Affymetrix
Affymetrix is a pioneer in creating breakthrough tools that are
driving the genomic revolution. By applying the principles of
semiconductor technology to the life sciences, Affymetrix develops
and commercializes systems that enable scientists to improve the
quality of life. The Company's customers include pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, agrichemical, diagnostics and consumer products
companies as well as academic, government and other non-profit
research institutes. Affymetrix offers an expanding portfolio
of integrated products and services, including its integrated
GeneChip platform, to address growing markets focused on understanding
the relationship between genes and human health. Additional information
on Affymetrix can be found at www.affymetrix.com.
bioMérieux, and the blue logo and FoodExpert-ID are registered
and protected trademarks belonging to bioMérieux sa or
one of its subsidiaries. Food Expert – ID is a trademark
of bioMérieux. Affymetrix and GeneChip are registered trademarks
owned by Affymetrix, Inc.
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