Certification allows food manufacturers to meet various legal requirements on vitamin fortification, to ensure product quality and to speed up batch release times.
Manufacturers need to measure water-soluble vitamins in a variety of foodstuffs, including cereals, milk-based infant formula, powder, soya-based infant formula, fortified beverages, pre-mixes and dietary vitamin supplements.
Sweden-based Biacore International said that its Qflex kits for testing for vitamin B2, B12, biotin and folic acid have been certified by the Association of Analytical Communities Research Institute (AOAC).
The company's testing kit for pantothenic acid is in the final stage of certification, the company stated in a press release.
"As a supplier to the food analysis industry, international certification of our technology is of immense importance to us," stated Esa Stenberg, Biacore's head of its food analysis unit. "It provides potential users with the confidence that Biacore analysis offers a truly effective alternative to the traditional methods largely used in the food industry today."
Used together with the company's Biacore system, the Qflex kits help reduce sample preparation times in comparison to traditional microbiology-based assays and high-performance liquid chromatography systems, the company claims.
"Total analysis time is reduced and throughput increased resulting in higher productivity and lower costs," Biacore stated. "These ready-to-use kits also offer greater specificity and sensitivity than existing solutions."
AOAC is a not-for-profit scientific association dedicated to setting international standards for analytical results and testing methods used in the food industry.
Test kits found to be in conformance with their claims are granted "Performance Tested Methods" status by the AOAC's research institute. The Performance Tested Methods status assures the test kit user that an independent assessment has been conducted and the kit performs as claimed.