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Press Release

USDA-FGIS Approves Charm Sciences’ Renewal of Zearalenone Mycotoxin Test

Charm Sciences, Inc. announces that the United States Department of Agriculture’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (USDA-FGIS) has renewed the usage of the ROSA® WET®-S5 Zearalenone Quantitative Test. USDA-FGIS operates and oversees official grain inspection services throughout the United States and will use the ZEARQ-WETS5 test for official zearalenone testing. This 5-minute lateral flow test was first approved in 2017 and is reapproved for the detection of zearalenone in 5 commodities, including barley, corn, DDGS, sorghum, and wheat.

“Charm Sciences’ reapproval of the ROSA WET-S5 Zearalenone Quantitative Test is a benefit to the grain industry. It detects zearalenone in grains using Water Extraction Technology (WET) with the same extract as other Charm WET tests,” stated Mark Tess, Ph.D., Mycotoxin Product Manager at Charm. “As zearalenone was a concern in corn last year, more locations are able to screen for this toxin using our 5-minute water-based extraction to prevent zearalenone from entering by-products like corn gluten meal.”

The ZEARQ-WETS5 test utilizes Charm’s patented Rapid One Step Assay (ROSA) technology to extract zearalenone from the sample without organic solvents. Like all of Charm’s ROSA mycotoxin tests, the ZEARQ-WETS5 test can be read and recorded using the all-in-one Charm EZ®-M System. The Charm EZ-M System allows incubation and analysis with the same equipment and is robust enough that tests can be run at the point of receiving.

About Charm Sciences

Established in 1978 in Greater Boston, Charm Sciences helps protect consumers, manufacturers, and global brands from a variety of issues through the development of food safety, water quality, and environmental diagnostics tests and equipment. Selling directly and through its network of distributors, Charm’s products serve the dairy, feed and grain, food and beverage, water, healthcare, environmental, and industrial markets in more than 100 countries around the globe.