Milk casein rapid test SENSIStrip Powerline

For surfaces, rinse water and product analysis, swabs included

Price per piece, available per 5 pieces or multiples of 5.

Content

• test strip
• Swab
• Extraction tube (transparent cap)
• Reaction tube (blue cap)
• Bottle with extraction buffer
• Cover it up
• Large pipette 
• Pipette small (0,3 ml)
• Cardboard holders
• QR code for use with the Reader (Optional)

Detection limit

Product: 1 ppm casein
Swab/environmental examination: 0,2 µg/swab casein
Rinsing water: 0,26 mg/l casein
Casein is a specific milk protein. Approx. 80% of liquid milk proteins consist of casein and 10% of BLG. Casein is the main milk protein in cheese, but is virtually absent in whey products. 
The test focuses on casein from cow's milk, but also detects proteins from goat's and sheep's milk to a lesser extent.
Sensitivity depends on the type of food, the amount of product under investigation and the extraction method. Contact us to determine the detection limit in a specific product.

Operating principle

Using specific antibodies (similar to ELISA tests), the presence of the allergen being tested is made visible by the appearance of a line. The test strip contains three lines: a control line that indicates whether the test has been performed correctly, a test line, and a hook line. High concentrations (1.000 ppm casein) of the allergen in the sample may suppress the visibility of the test line. Therefore, do not use the test for pure (undiluted) casein or cheese.
The principle is comparable to a corona or pregnancy test.

To use for

> Securing the chain and checking suppliers 
> Control raw materials
> Determine and verify cross-contamination 
> Control cleaning 
> Handling rework 
> Test end products
> Check rinse water

Additional information

This kit is primarily suitable for detecting cross-contamination with cheese, milk, or specific casein (e.g., used in wine), but not with whey products. In that case, use the BLG rapid test of milk total when the precise milk ingredient is unknown. 

During product analysis, it is important that the test strip does not become blocked by product residues or thickeners. If the liquid cannot flow properly through the strip, it will not reach the C-line, resulting in an invalid result. Therefore, allow solid product residues to settle thoroughly before testing. For products containing thickeners or that are highly viscous, it may be necessary to dilute the sample with water beforehand. Please note that dilution affects the detection limit.
In the analysis of products with a high content of polyphenols, such as pure spices, cocoa (powder), nuts, seeds, or berries, the use of a special extraction additive necessary. The additive prevents false-positive test results by binding polyphenols.

For both product and rinse water analyses, the pH of the sample must be between 6 and 8. Abnormal results may occur outside this pH range. At a low pH, there is a risk of a false-positive result.
A buffer solution is supplied with the test to stabilize the pH and salt concentration. The amount of buffer is matched to the prescribed sample quantity. It is therefore essential to accurately weigh the sample during product analysis, for example with the precision balance.

Contact us for more information about customized extraction protocols, for example for strongly colored foods.
It is recommended to validate the method by using both a negative and positive monster to analyze the product to be investigated. Dilute the positive sample to the desired measurement range. 

Simple working method

Download
Manual

Store 2 – 8°C 
Shelf life approx. 12 months (min. 3 months upon delivery)

Quantify results with reader (optional)

The strips can be easily visually assessed. No additional equipment is required. This determines whether the allergen is detectable or not.
Optionally, the strips can also be read with the separately available readerThis reader measures the intensity of the lines on the strip and calculates the allergen content in ppm (parts per million or mg per kg) based on that information. This method is similar to an ELISA analysis, but faster and more user-friendly. Accredited external analyses may still be necessary, but the reader saves time and money by performing the measurements yourself.
The reading with the reader gives the following values:

If the concentration is higher than 20 ppm, a 1:10 dilution can be made. This extends the measuring range by a factor of 10 to 10-200 ppm (or even higher with additional dilutions). Dilutions are made with the extraction buffer included in the kit. The dilution procedure can be found in the included manual.

Important: ppm values ​​(mg/kg product) are only relevant when using the strips for product testing. These values ​​can be compared with product standards, such as:

• PAL (Precautionary Allergen Labelling): action limits for warnings on labels
  
• Vegan products: maximum cross-contamination levels may apply such as 1000 ppm for animal ingredients such as milk

overviewmeasuring ranges 

We do not recommend using the reader for swabs (surface tests) and rinse water. Swabs sample cm², and rinse water is not consumed. Therefore, the amount of allergen on a surface or in rinse water cannot be expressed in mg/kg product. Therefore, the read values ​​cannot be compared with product standards.  

More information about the SENSIStrip rapid test

SENSIStrip is a trademark of Gold Standard Diagnostics Budapest Kft.