Romer Labs®, a leading global food-safety diagnostic company have announced the launch of two new lateral flow test kits (LFDs) for the detection of total milk and of ß-Lactoglobulin in food, rinse waters and swab samples (environmental samples). The AgraStrip® Total Milk LFD and AgraStrip® ß-Lactoglobulin LFD have been validated for a variety of milk products and soft drinks.

Belonging to the group of eight major allergens, milk is one of the most important allergenic food ingredients, especially for children. Even very low amounts of bovine milk can cause allergic reactions, which may lead to anaphylactic shock in severe cases. Because of this, persons allergic to milk must avoid the consumption of milk or foods containing milk very strictly. This means that the addition of bovine milk to food products has had to be labeled since the bringing in of EU Directive 2007/68/EC. Approximately 80% of bovine milk proteins are caseins and 20% are whey proteins. The major allergen in whey is ß-Lactoglobulin, accounting for about 50% of whey proteins (equivalent to 10% of total milk proteins).

The AgraStrip® Total Milk LFD and AgraStrip® ß-Lactoglobulin ensure the correct labeling of your product and, thus, protect individuals allergic to milk.

Furthermore, two new extraction buffers, AgraStrip® Wine extraction buffer egg and Casein are being released, in addition to the existing AgraStrip® kits Egg and Casein, enhancing those kits´ LODs for the analysis of wine samples to meet the low threshold defined by EC legislation No 579/2012 (LOD: 0.25 ppm egg white/milk protein residues).

In winemaking, the process of fining constitutes a potential risk in terms of introducing allergens into wine. Proteins like albumin from egg white, milk casein and gelatin are added to remove undesirable phenolic compounds and simultaneously reduce bitterness and astringency. Though a filtration step should ensure the removal of those allergens, there is no absolute guarantee that all potential allergens have been removed. The new legislation brought in by the EC ensures that wines containing 0.25 ppm or more egg white and/or milk protein residues have to be labeled clearly.

With its broad pipeline of innovative food allergen detection kits including a large portfolio of LFD test kits, Romer Labs® is one of the leading providers of test and detection kits in the industry.