BSE Risk Material

With the RIDASCREEN® Risk Material test, brain and spinal cord can be detected in and on raw meat, meat products and on surfaces (machines or utensils) within 20 minutes.

This allows control of observance of existing laws and regulations, and voluntary self control of meat processors increases confidence ofconsumers.

With the Commission Decision 2000/418/EG (Official journal L 153/76), the usage ofparticular animal tissues, that may contain accumulated concentrations of infectious material, is eliminated from the food chain (specified risk materials, SRM). The predominant carrier of infectious material is tissue of the Central Nervous System (CNS), i.e. brain and spinal cord.

Test principle is the antigen-antibody reaction in a sandwich ELISA. The existence of risk material (CNS) can be detected through Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP). This cellular marker exists in high concentration in CNS. The wells of the microtiter stripes are coated with specific antibodies against GFAP. If CNS material exists, the contained GFAP binds to the specific capture antibody.

With the antibody peroxidase conjugate (enzyme conjugate) a bound antigen can be detected. After addition of chromogen/substrate the bound enzyme conjugate changes the red dyed chromogen to a blue-coloured end product. The addition of the stop reagent leads to a colour change from blue to yellow. The measurement is made photometrically at 450 nm. The absorbance is proportional to the CNS (GFAP) concentration in the sample.