Vicam single-use food safety test kits are designed to test for the presence of mycotoxin and microbiological organisms in a wide variety of food products
Waters has purchased the food safety technology business and associated net assets of Vicam for undisclosed terms.
Vicam single-use food safety test kits are designed to test for the presence of mycotoxin and microbiological organisms in a wide variety of food products.
For regulatory-compliant analysis of mycotoxins, Vicam immunoaffinity columns isolate the contaminants to be measured in the laboratory by sensitive methods of analysis including fluorometer measurement, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or newer, more sensitive techniques such as Ultra Performance LC (UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS).
Consumer demand for contaminant-free supplies of foods are driving regulations to become more stringent and more numerous.
According to the annual report of the European Commissions' Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), the largest number (44%) of Information Notifications by identified risk in 2004, was for mycotoxin contamination in food imported to, or grown within, the EU.
Mycotoxins, among the most carcinogenic compounds known to science, are produced naturally by soil fungi or molds that typically release toxins that contaminate plants stressed by drought or that contaminate improperly-stored grain/feed.
Vicam's proprietary products employ monoclonal antibodies that are highly-specific for certain mycotoxins in a sample which makes their identification and concentration measurement simple, fast and accurate.
"What initially attracted Waters to Vicam was its leadership position in this important segment of the food testing business, coupled with its strong customer commitment and their focus upon creating relationships with relevant regulatory agencies," said Mark Baynham, director - chemistry and consumables marketing, Waters.
"The close regulatory relationships cultivated by Vicam and its specialised distributors allow it to anticipate its customers' current and future needs in a demanding and growing regulatory environment".
"Vicam is extremely pleased to be aligned with a company that will help it extend its technology platform across many more market opportunities," said Marjorie Radlo, executive vice president, Vicam.
"With our already strong market presence in the food safety arena, Vicam's proprietary products linked to Waters leading separations and detection capability will enable food technologists to further meet the demands of new regulations leading to a safer food supply".
Vicam, headquartered in Watertown, MA, is a 20-year old, privately-held, global company founded by agribusiness executives and scientists from Boston University, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The company's single-use test kits, instrumentation and ancillary equipment are used by grower, processor, regulatory, and food company laboratories for regulatory compliance testing of foods and beverages such as peanuts, coffee, corn, grain/feed, milk, pet food, spices, beer, wine/grape juice among others.
