Are Your Mycotoxin Test Kits Validated for Your Products?

Testing Your Rapid Mycotoxin Test Kits

In the agricultural supply chain, from grain storage to food, feed, and pet food production, mycotoxin control is non-negotiable for food safety. Mycotoxins pose significant risks to humans and animals such as:

• Reduced livestock performance
• Animal health issues
• Regulatory violations
• Product recalls
• Erosion of consumer trust
• Brand erosion 

Therefore, it is essential to test your products or raw materials to verify if mycotoxins are present. Rapid lateral flow and ELISA test kits have become industry standards because they deliver fast, reliable results that allow facilities to make quick decisions about their products. But to ensure the accuracy of a testing program, it is important to confirm or verify that a facility’s’ products work on the test kit that they are using.

Validation vs Verification of Test Kits

To first understand if a product works on a test kit it is important to know the difference between validation and verification. Validated products are commodities that have been validated by the processor or manufacturer on a test method by comparing to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and/or stated mycotoxin reference material (MRM) values. Testing is conducted over multiple days with multiple analysts, and other conditions to ensure that methods successfully meet acceptance criteria. 

Verification Explained

Verified products are a customer’s commodity that goes through a feasibility process. This testing can be done by the kit manufacturer through a matrix feasibility request. It involves a small-scale experiment typically done with a single extraction, triplicate tests per extract, on a single day by one analyst. Samples results are compared to HPLC results or spiked with a known level of mycotoxin and need to meet an acceptable recovery.

Key Differences

Why Verification Matters for Mycotoxin Testing

Every grain, nut, raw material, or feed ingredient has a unique matrix that can influence the performance of a rapid test kit. No two facilities, storage conditions, or product matrices are exactly alike. Variations like moisture content, processing, or even grain variety can affect test performance. Inaccurate results can lead to costly mistakes- from discarding good products to unknowingly releasing contaminated baches. 

Verification helps ensure that your rapid mycotoxin test kit produces data that you can trust to make critical business decisions. In addition, many food safety management systems, including the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), require verification of testing methods. Documenting verification processes demonstrate due diligence during audits and can help protect your operation from compliance issues. 

Benefits of Verified Mycotoxin Test Kits

• Accuracy
• Compliance
• Efficiency
• Speed
• Decision-making confidence
• Trusted results
  
  

How to Verify Products with Neogen Mycotoxin Test Kits

Verifying your products on Neogen rapid mycotoxins test kits is simple and efficient.

1. Confirm if your commodity has already been validated on your desired lateral flow or ELISA test kit
2. If not, reach out to your Neogen representative or contact us below
3. Send samples to our technical service lab
4. Our technical service lab team will complete testing for you and provide a comprehensive report  

 With over 45 years of experience and over 500 validations conducted, Neogen is your go-to partner for rapid mycotoxin test kits and matrix feasibility studies.

Download our full list of validated and verified commodities here: Natural-Toxins_Validated-Commodity-List_en-US_FS01036 - DOCUMENT.

The Bottom Line

For feed mills, grain elevators, pet food manufacturers, and other food processors, verification is not optional – it’s essential for enabling accurate and reproducible results when testing your products. Even the most advanced rapid test kits cannot deliver consistent results without site-specific verification.

By verifying products on rapid test kits prior to using, you can:

• Accurately identify and manage contaminated grain lots
• Optimize feed formulations
• Protect animal performance
• Help maintain compliance with regulatory and certification programs
• Standardize testing and decision-making across facilities  

In an industry where safety, quality, and speed drive success, verification transforms a validated test into a proven, reliable tool for a company’s operation. 

Whether you’re verifying a new ingredient or expanding your testing capabilities, our team is ready to help. Fill out the form below to connect with a Neogen specialist and get guidance tailored to your operation.