New Technical Developments at Eurofins Make Dioxin Analyses Fast and Affordable

EU - With new technical developments Eurofins speeds up dioxin analyses and makes them more affordable. In the past, the analysis of dioxins was often a special discipline far removed from routine testing and thus complex, expensive and time-consuming.

In the past few weeks the media have reported intensively on the discovery of dioxin-contaminated feeding stuff, which has led to ca. 650 farms (especially pig and poultry producers) in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany temporarily being put under quarantine.

This situation and other dioxin scandals that have arisen emphasise just how important regular controls and the right analyses of food and feeding stuffs are.

The current crisis was provoked by an inadequate analytical strategy, in which only PCBs were analysed instead of PCBs and dioxins.

Apart from the price, the long turn-around time of the tests has also been a reason to frequently forgo dioxin analyses. What help is it knowing 4 weeks later that a product, that has already been processed, was contaminated?

Eurofins has recently implemented new, fast methods of extraction and automated clean-up steps that revolutionise the turn-around times of dioxin analyses.

Results can now be obtained on request after 24 - 36 hours instead of several weeks. With the newly opened state-of-the-art laboratory in Hamburg, one of the most modern laboratories in Europe, Eurofins has increased its analytical capacity to over 1,500 dioxin samples per month in this facility alone.

This enormous capability is unique in the world and is ensured by 10 high-resolution GC/MS systems. Sufficient resources are especially important in crisis situations in order to be in a position to guarantee fast turn-around-times even then. In addition to this, the new laboratory building has been designed to provide optimum sample throughput, resulting in increased efficiency and enabling Eurofins to lower prices for its clients.

Source: BusinessWire