Neogen launches NeoColumn™ for T-2/HT-2 toxins

In response to imminent regulation in the European Union, Neogen has expanded its comprehensive line of mycotoxin detection products to include NeoColumn™ T-2/HT-2.

NeoColumn™ T-2/HT-2

Neogen’s NeoColumn T-2/HT-2 is an immunoaffinity column (IAC) for the detection of Fusarium spp. toxins T-2 and HT-2. In addition to new IAC assay, Neogen Europe also developed a simple isocratic HPLC method for the detection of T-2/HT-2. An extensive evaluation programme has demonstrated that NeoColumn T-2/HT-2 is a highly effective IAC, which can recover T-2 and HT-2 from a broad range of matrices including horse feed, wheat and oats.

“In view of imminent EU legislation, NeoColumn T-2/HT-2 is a timely addition to the current range of NeoColumns,” said Neogen Europe’s Dr. . “The results of our evaluation show excellent levels of recovery from samples, and that the column is a useful analytical tool for the food industry.”

NeoColumn for T-2/HT-2 is a high performance IAC designed for the easy clean-up and concentration of sample prior to analyses such as HPLC, GC-MS and ELISA. A representative sample is extracted and filtered before being passed through the highly specific column. Binding takes place between immobilised antibody and T-2/HT-2 toxin. The column is then washed to remove any unbound material. Captured T-2/HT-2 is released by denaturing the antibody using a single methanol elution. For HPLC assay, the eluted sample is firstly subjected to derivitisation with 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) and 1-anthroylnitrile (1-AN), then reconstituted in an appropriate solvent.

T-2 and HT-2 toxins are trichothecene mycotoxins produced by several species of Fusarium moulds. As T-2 toxin is readily metabolised to HT-2 toxin, and the toxins have been shown to produce numerous adverse effects on many animals, these two mycotoxins are frequently evaluated together. Animals affected by the T-2/HT-2 toxins include swine, dairy cattle, poultry, dogs, cats and horses. Effects of the toxins include digestive disorders, hemorrhage, edema, oral lesions, dermatitis, and blood disorders. Damage caused by the toxins to the digestive track is irreversible.

The new assay adds to existing NeoColumn assays for aflatoxin, DON, ochratoxin and zearalenone. Neogen also offers Veratox® for T-2/HT-2, a quantitative ELISA that returns results in the range of 0-250 ppb, and other test formats for mycotoxins that range from the extremely simple Reveal test strips to highly-sensitive fully quantitative tests capable of rapidly detecting mycotoxins in numerous samples simultaneously.

Neogen Europe Ltd, the European subsidiary of Neogen Corporation (Nasdaq: NEOG), is a high technology business dedicated to the development and marketing of novel diagnostic kits. These kits focus on topical concerns about the quality and safety of food and agricultural products, from the quality of seed that goes into the ground, right through the chain to the safety of fully processed food products.