Baltimore, MD – InstantLabs is adding two additional salmon identification tests to continue the expansion of the company’s growing product line of food safety and seafood fraud prevention tools.
The new salmon tests – for Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) – allow InstantLabs to offer fast, reliable species identification for the four most popular salmon. InstantLabs has previously launched test kits for Atlantic (Salmo salar) and Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). This allows distributors, food processors and government regulators to positively identify the salmon species in under two hours.
Developed in conjunction with the University of Guelph, these new test kits will be offered as part of the InstantLabs’ InstantID™ Species product line. The company’s offerings include identification tests for Atlantic Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) and U.S. Catfish (Ictalurus species), as well as offerings for pork (Sus scrofa) and horse (Equus) species identification. These kits are available for use on the Hunter® platform, or other PCR instruments.
“These new tests help us serve a greater customer base within the global seafood industry,” said Steven Guterman, InstantLabs CEO. “We believe the speed and simplicity of our system will protect consumers, help processors and combat the accelerating international problem of seafood fraud.”
InstantLabs’ Hunter® instrument combines accuracy, speed, and ease-of-operation into a compact portable system. The system can be used for both species identification and food pathogen detection, delivering results quickly, thereby allowing seamless integration into food industry firms’ processes and facilities. InstantLabs’ DNA-based technology provides accurate species verification in hours at the point-of need rather than requiring samples be sent to centralized labs for sequencing, which often leads to a delay of one to two weeks.
ABOUT INSTANTLABS: InstantLabs, a molecular diagnostic device company, developed and markets the Hunter® Real-Time PCR system, a fully-integrated, easy-to-use, portable and affordable real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) platform for rapid, accurate DNA detection. InstantLabs Medical Diagnostics Corp., the legal entity, offers the Hunter® system for use with several food-borne pathogen test kits as well as a growing number of species identification test kits for the global food market. InstantLabs has also developed a line of test kits designed to detect organisms implicated in microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) in conjunction with industrial partners. The Hunter® system is especially well suited for use at points-of-need to detect and analyze a wide variety of common and problematic analytes. Founded in 2008, InstantLabs is located in Baltimore, MD. http://www.instantlabs.com.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH: Acknowledged as one of the leading public research universities, the University has 39 Canada Research chairs in natural sciences, energy, health services and social sciences. With a commitment to student learning and innovative research, University leaders are dedicated to cultivating the essentials for our quality of life – water, food, environment, animal and human health, community, commerce, culture and learning. The University community also shares a profound sense of social responsibility, an obligation to address global issues and a concern for international development. Learn more at http://www.uoguelph.ca.
For more information: Steven Guterman, Chief Executive Officer, (917) 679-1928, sguterman@instantlabs.com or Tim Pittman, (919) 539-8155, timpittman@nc.rr.com
Source: InstantLabs