A recent study at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center has evaluated the application of screening assays for determination of DST
(diarrhetic shellish toxins) in shellfish. A lateral flow test, ELISA and PP2A tests were evaluated and compared with the standard regulatory LC-MS/MS (Eberhart et al, Marine Drugs, 2013).

Last August 25th ZEULAB attended the AOAC 127th annual meeting in Chicago Illinois. ZEULAB has been attending at this meeting as an exhibitor for the last 3 years, in which there are visitors from all over the world.
AOAC offers scientific sessions, roundtables, workshops, and poster presentations to meet a variety of analytical needs. Also brings science-based research from the top scientists in the world, technical information about changes and advances in methodology and access to techniques and applications.

As in previous editions in Baiona (Spain) Zeulab attended to the Marine and Freshwater Toxins Analysis: Fourth Joint Symposium and AOAC Task Force Meeting, last May 5-9, 2013.

Phytoplankton carry out around half of all photosynthesis on Earth. They lower CO2 concentrations in the oceans, add oxygen to our atmosphere, and are the basis of most ocean and many freshwater food chains. When they die, phytoplanktons also sequester carbon in the deep ocean as they sink towards the ocean floor. The organisms’ close relationship with CO2 and the carbon cycle means that climate change scientists need to understand how global warming will alter phytoplankton populations. Additionally, ecologists wish to understand phytoplankton to predict the oceans’ future health.

Just published the collaborative study on OkaTest, colorimetric phophatase inhibition assay for OA-toxins. Smienk et al, 2013, J. AOAC International. 96, 1, 77-85.

Humans have been eating cheese for 9.000 years. A group of researchers from UK, USA and Poland has proved that people ate cheese back in 7.000 B.C. Several pieces of pottery with holes similar to actual cheese strainers have been found in multiple sites from Anatolia, Europe and Africa. Scientists have found a great amount of milk fats inside strainers holes. So these specialized pottery vessels were used to milk processing without doubt. According to these evidences, farmers from Neolithic period did an early use of milk, separating fat-rich milk cruds from lactose-containing whey.

The unknown mixture of milk from different species is a common fraud in the cheese sector. The different prices of milk species tends to adulterate the expensive with those of lower cost. This adulteration is especially important for cheese makers, not only for economical reasons, but also because unknown milk mixtures produce changes in the final sensory properties and reduce the product quality. Besides, cheese producers need to assure that pure cheese does not contain milk from other species for labelling purposes.

Chinese, German and north American researchers has been able to produce what varieties compatible for celiac patients. Gluten is a complex mixture of several proteins known as gliadins. In a single bread wheat variety is comprised of up to 45 different gliadins. Some of these proteins induce an autoimmune reaction in celiac patients. The only effective therapy is strict dietary abstinence from food with gluten, but is quite difficult to comply with. Besides, following a gluten-free diet has adverse influence on gut microbiota causing digestive problems. In this work, researches have been avoiding the expression of the enzyme that controls the synthesis of some gliadins. These wheat varieties showed a 76.4% reduction in celiac response gliadins. It is has claim that these modified wheat would be able to bake food suitable for celiac patients. In addition patients would allow consume non immunogenic gluten avoiding adverse effects of a gluten free diet.