FIMA GANADERA 2009, the most important feed exhibition in Spain, has recently presented DSM Nutritional Products with a ''Technical Innovation'' award for the development of iCheck Eggs, a unique analytical system for fast quantitative determination of carotenoids in eggs.

The use of egg products in foodstuffs is increasing steadily worldwide. This can be attributed to the growing use of egg yolk in products which make up consumers' everyday purchases; pasta, mousses, mayonnaise and biscuits, for instance.

Recent international consumer research has shown that colour from eggs in foods such as cakes and mayonnaise is a decisive factor at the moment of purchase. Food companies therefore require raw ingredients, such as eggs, to meet precise standards of colour consistency.

One of the main reasons why companies still do not standardise and control the colour of egg products used by the food industry was the lack of an easy-to-use and flexible analytical system which should provide precise and reliable information, and even better when this is done in just some minutes.

iCheck Eggs is a fast-test kit developed by BioAnalyt and DSM Nutritional Products which allows users a rapid monitoring of the colour of eggs and egg products. It is simple to use, easy to transport and gives reliable results in less than 10 minutes.

This new award for DSM iCheck Eggs comes just some few months after SPACE (France), one of the most relevant global feed exhibitions, had awarded the iCheck Eggs kit with the INNOV'SPACE prize for this new service to the poultry industry.

DSM Nutritional Products is a leading supplier of vitamins, carotenoids and other fine chemicals to the feed, food, pharmaceutical and personal care industries.