Eurofins Launches New Service for the Analysis of Acrylamide in Food

15-05-2002: Galten/Brussels, May 14, 2002 On April 24, 2002 the Swedish National Food Administration (NFA) in Uppsala announced that acrylamide, a potentially carcinogenic chemical, which is suspected of causing cancer, was found in carbohydrate-rich foods that are processed at high temperatures, such as potato crisps, French fries, biscuits and bread. These findings are a result of a survey carried out at the Stockholm University in cooperation with the NFA. The results were deemed so important and surprising that the scientist took the rare step of going public before publishing them in an academic journal. These disturbing findings have raised concern at an international level.

Testing for acrylamide has already been an issue in Scandinavia for some time. As a result, the Miljø-Kemi laboratories of the Eurofins Group in Denmark have developed and validated methods based on a gas chromatography and mass spectrometry procedure on pre-prepared samples (GC-MS after derivation) for analysing acrylamide in water. In response to this announcement by the Swedish Government survey, the Group has immediately been able to modify the method in order to make it applicable to the analysis of acrylamide in foods as well as carrying out developments that will make the tests more sensitive and direct. The analytical method, which can now be made available to our clients, uses the same technology as the Swedish team and is based on a combination of liquid chromatography coupled to a two- stage mass spectrometry procedure (LC-MS-MS).

"This is an excellent example of the benefit of our business strategy of putting together a unique network of world-class centres of excellence for the analysis of foods, pharmaceuticals and environment", says Dr. Gilles Martin, CEO of Eurofins. "Our outstanding portfolio of state-of-the-art analytical methods and the abilities of our highly educated and motivated staff enable us to react fast and flexibly on crises affecting the industries in which we work. This provides the support to our customers to ensure that they are achieving the highest standards of quality and safety for their products no matter where they are sold."