Your partner in food safety and hygiene

Rapid screening for residues potentially present in milk, such as antibiotics, mycotoxins, or other contaminants, is essential to ensure food safety. Here is a general approach to quickly checking for residues in milk:

1. Choose the rapid test corresponding to the type of residue to be detected. There is a wide range of them, such as test strips, ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) tests, or ROSA (Rapid One Step Assay) tests. Selection should depend on the residue, required sensitivity and type of use (field or laboratory test).
2. Perform the test according to the instructions provided with the kit for preparing the milk sample.
3. Read and interpret the results. Rapid tests typically provide visual results, such as color change or the appearance of lines on a strip, indicative of the presence or absence of residue. Some devices, such as the Charm EZ® Reader, combine incubation and digital reading. The device adjusts the analysis conditions and automatically reads and interprets the test. It can also send results in real time via Bluetooth.

The detection of traces of antibiotics in milk is a major public health concern, because treatment residues can cause risks of antibiotic resistance or allergies. There are different methods for detecting and quantifying their presence in milk:

• Microbiological methods based on inhibiting the growth of specific microorganisms in the presence of antibiotics, which reveals their presence.
• Rapid test kits, such as test strips or immunoassays (ELISA), which can specifically and quickly detect antibiotics within minutes.
• Analytical techniques such as chromatography or mass spectrometry which are often coupled with it. These techniques are very precise and sensitive, but they require large equipment.

For the dairy industry, rapid tests have the advantage of being effective and very easy to use. Charm Sciences has launched a wide range of ROSA® (Rapid One Step Assay) rapid kits for the analysis of antibiotic residues in milk. He also designed the first combined incubator and reader: the Charm® EZ Lite system. It allows you to analyze, in just a few minutes, antibiotics in milk, but also aflatoxin M1 (mycotoxin), by simply inserting a ROSA® strip.

The detection of mycotoxins in cereals and fodder is essential for the prevention of risks to animal and human health. Indeed, their deleterious effects range from gastrointestinal and kidney disorders to more serious problems, such as immune damage or even cancer.

The most common mycotoxins that pose risks to the grain industry and livestock are: aflatoxins, zearalenone and deoxynivalenol (DON).

Several methods are available to facilitate their research in the agricultural, livestock and cereal sectors:

• rapid tests or strip tests;
• ELISA kits that require a microplate reader;
• lateral flow tests;
• portable analyzers based on spectrometry which offer precise quantitative analysis, but more expensive and complex for the interpretation of the results.

Preventing the risk of allergen cross-contamination in food production environments is essential to ensure consumer safety. A set of measures helps reduce the risk:

1. Identify the list of allergens present in the production environment and the risks of contact with other products.
2. Train staff on the dangers of allergens and good food handling and cleaning practices.
3. Organize areas and production flows to avoid cross-contamination.
4. Establish rigorous hygiene procedures to remove allergen residue from surfaces and equipment. Validate the effectiveness of cleaning through regular tests to detect the presence of allergens.
   Ensure proper packaging to avoid cross contamination after production.
5. The labeling must indicate the presence of allergens in the products, in accordance with current regulations, without forgetting the mention of potential traces.
6. Carry out regular audits of allergen management practices and adjust procedures based on the results and developments in good industrial practices.