Eurofins invests in bulk mycotoxin service to strengthen UK commitment

Eurofins Food and Water Testing UK & Ireland has further enhanced its commitment to UK customers thanks to its £60,000 investment in new equipment, facilities and personnel.

Eurofins Wolverhampton, based on the i54, has invested in a major bulk toxins development which has been designed to facilitate the preparation and testing of large sample weights of food – previously carried out in labs within the EU.

The team has introduced a dedicated bulk preparation room within the Wolverhampton lab to facilitate the large samples – ranging from 10kg to 30kg – as well as new specialised equipment, a purpose-designed safety solution, and the appointment of new analysts.

Expanding Eurofins’ capability in the UK to carry out the tests removes the need to transport these large samples within the EU, and avoid the potential delays due to tighter border restrictions and associated documentation.

“We’re delighted to have the facility up and running after completing extensive testing and validation,” explained Ian Rock, technical development manager at Eurofins Wolverhampton. “By carrying out the tests here in the UK, we are able to maintain a robust sample custody procedure and improve turnaround times which in turn reduces the length of time perishable goods are held at the port whilst the testing analysis is completed.

Eurofins Wolverhampton is an industry leader in testing for legislated mycotoxins, using its established UKAS-accredited methodology and extensive equipment to test mycotoxins including Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 and Ochratoxin.

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain moulds which can grow on a variety of crops and foodstuffs, including cereals, nuts, spices, dried fruit, apple juice, and coffee. They are known to be unevenly distributed potentially leading to ‘hot spots’ of contamination. As sampling plays a crucial part in the precision of the determination of the levels of mycotoxins, clearly defined criteria are set out in Regulation EU 401/2006 resulting in the need for large sample weights to be collected and prepared.

Ian added: “We now have the capability, with the new space, equipment, and team to handle large samples taken by sampling authorities and to achieve the correct homogenisation to produce a representative sample for analysis.”

Mark Carnaghan, managing director of Eurofins Food and Water Testing UK & Ireland, added: “We’re committed to investing in the efficiencies of our labs across the whole of the UK, and the new bulk toxins project at Wolverhampton will prove invaluable for our customers.

“We’re continuing to identify ways that we can enhance the service we provide to stay ahead of changes within the ever-evolving food industry, and this investment will make the testing of bulk toxins even faster, safer, and more efficient than ever before. On a company-wide level, cutting out some of the lengthy journeys will also help to reduce our shared carbon footprint as we work towards becoming a carbon neutral business by 2026.”

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