NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 2002
Strategic Diagnostics Inc. today announced the RapidChek(TM) E. coli O157 Test Kit has earned Performance Tested Certification from the AOAC Research Institute (Method no.070201). E. coli O157 is a deadly foodborne bacteria typically found in beef products with almost 2 million tests performed each year in the U.S. AOAC validated the use of the RapidChek(TM) E. coli O157 lateral flow test cassette for use in boneless beef, ground beef, and apple cider. Using SDI's proprietary, one-step RapidChek(TM) media, sample enrichment can be performed in as little as 8 hours. The RapidChek(TM) test system offers several advantages over products currently in the market including room temperature storage, no sample boiling and faster, easier to read test strips.
Scott Coates, Director of the AOAC Research Institute commented, "AOAC's third party review of the RapidChek(TM) system confirms that the method meets its performance claims. By passing this rigorous review process, the RapidChek(TM) E. coli products are entitled to display the AOAC Performance Tested logo and should be a valuable tool for the food testing industry."
Richard C. Birkmeyer, President and CEO of SDI commented, "We are very pleased to enter into the $300 million food pathogen testing market with such a dynamic new product. We have already initiated third party evaluations at several meat processing facilities and testing laboratories and the results are very encouraging. They have found the RapidChek(TM) test cassette to be faster and easier to interpret than other products on the market."
In a separate development, the Company announced that the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has issued its certification of the MycoCheck(TM) test kit for the detection of fumonisin, which is a common mycotoxin found in corn. The market for test kits for the detection of mycotoxins is estimated to be $22-25 million annually. SDI's family of tests offers meaningful competitive advantages. All the MycoCheck(TM) test kits are USDA GIPSA certified, and are in a format that allows easy, visual, semi-quantitative analysis as well as instrument-based quantitative analysis. The Company believes that these competitive advantages and its existing customer relationships established with major food manufacturers, position the Company to attract a meaningful market share of mycotoxin kit sales.