Charm Sciences, Inc. announced that its ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative test kit has been approved for official testing of fumonisin in the US national grain inspection system.

Charm's ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative test is the fastest test for fumonisin available - 10-minute assay time. The ROSA Fumonisin kit delivers fast, economical, accurate fumonisin detection in a convenient single strip. Quantitative readings and a detection range from 0 to 6 ppm (parts per million) provide the flexibility to meet both domestic and export requirements.

The ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative kit is the 10th Charm mycotoxin test to receive approval from USDA's Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Association (GIPSA). All Charm Rapid One Step Assay (ROSA) mycotoxin tests can be run on the same equipment and follow a similar assay format, providing an efficient and economical way to detect and quantify mycotoxins in feed and grain.

''The Charm ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative Test helps ensure the safety of the food chain by enabling growers, processors and regulators to validate that grain and feed conform to specified or recommended limits for fumonisin,'' said Mark Tess, Mycotoxin Product Manager at Charm Sciences.

Fumonisins (FB1, FB2, and FB3) are produced by naturally occurring Fusarium molds, including F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum. These toxins have been implicated as possible causes of human esophageal cancer, equine leukoencephalomalacia - a serious disease in horses, toxic feed syndrome in poultry, and pulmonary edema in swine.

Charm Sciences specialises in food and feed safety diagnostic tests. Charm's diagnostic portfolio includes test kits and integrated programmes for antibiotics, mycotoxins, pesticides, alkaline phosphatase, pathogens, end-product microbial assessment, allergen control, and ATP.