BIOTECON Diagnostics, has successfully MicroVal validated several foodproof® realtime PCR systems. BIOTECON Diagnostics' foodproof® Enterobacteriaceae plus E. sakazakii Detection Kits in combination with the foodproof® Salmonella Detection Kits as well as Reagent D and the foodproof® StarPrep One Kit have been certified by Lloyd's Register Nederland B.V. (Rotterdam, Netherlands).

"15 external laboratories participated in the studies, including Nestlé, L+S AG, FrieslandCampina Domo and SGS Germany", says Alois Schneiderbauer, Chief Business Officer (CBO) of BIOTECON Diagnostics, "we thank our customers for the good cooperation".

With the globally recognized MicroVal certificate BIOTECON Diagnostics has set the stage for the global distribution of these products, which have been developed primarily for the quality-conscious baby food segment.

"With the achievement of this milestone we accomplish the increasing quality demands in the baby food industry, documenting our aim to cooperate with food producers in order to make food safer" says Kornelia Berghof-Jäger, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BIOTECON Diagnostics.

To meet the desire for better and faster detection systems for Cronobacter spp. (formerly E. sakazakii) and Salmonella, BIOTECON Diagnostics has developed and MicroVal validated the foodproof® Enterobacteriaceae plus E. sakazakii Detection Kit and foodproof® Salmonella Detection Kits in cooperation with Nestlé, the world's biggest food producer.

Within 24 hours the foodproof® Enterobacteriaceae plus E. sakazakii Detection Kit simultaneously detects all members of the genus Cronobacter spp. (formerly known as Enterobacter sakazakii) which are highly pathogenic especially for babies, as well as the indicator organisms of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Thus, the method follows Regulation EC No. 2073/2005 of the European Commission which has been in force since January 2006.

Both Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter spp. frequently occur in milk powder used for the preparation of infant formulae and follow up formulae.

The combination of this kit with the foodproof® Salmonella Detection Kit provides the following advantage for the user: All food samples tested negative for Enterobacteriaceae are also negative for Salmonella because Salmonella taxonomically belongs to the family of Enterobacteriaceae. Using the foodproof® Enterobacteriaceae plus E. sakazakii Detection Kit as a pre-screening for Salmonella drastically reduces the number of tests for this organism. This advantage has been recognized by leading baby food producers like Nestlé, who have successfully implemented both systems in their laboratories.

MicroVal is the European certification organization for the validation and approval of alternative methods for the microbiological analysis of food and beverages. The validation is carried out according to ISO 16140 Standard Operation Procedure for the Validation of Alternative Methods.