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Delegate from Japan’s Agriculture Research Institute Arrives at Charm for Reference Materials Training

Akira Tanaka of Japan’s Agricultural Research Institute’s Food Check and Analysis Center, recently came to the United States to train at the USDA GIPSA facility in Kansas City, MO.

The focus of this trip was to learn about the US testing program on DON, also known as vomitoxin, for wheat. Because Charm Sciences has been awarded the official DON contract with GIPSA for its DONQ-FAST5 test, Meikel Brewster, Vice President of Sales, was on hand to help with the training.

Mr. Tanaka then traveled from Kansas City to visit Charm Sciences’ Riverside Technology Development Center in Andover, MA. There he learned about Charm’s robust Reference Materials program, used to verify proficiency of operators, and validate test kit reagents and equipment. In addition to learning how to make reference materials, he also became versed in other ROSA mycotoxin grain tests including the AFQ-FAST for aflatoxin (also awarded a 5 year GIPSA contract), and ROSA tests for fumonisin, zearalenone, ochratoxin and T2-HT2 detection. Several of these tests offer a Water Extraction Technology (WET) version eliminating the use of methanol and ethanol.

About Charm Sciences

Established in 1978 in Greater Boston, Charm Sciences helps protect consumers, manufacturers, and global brands from a variety of issues through the development of food safety, water quality, and environmental diagnostics tests and equipment. Selling directly and through its network of distributors, Charm’s products serve the dairy, feed and grain, food and beverage, water, healthcare, environmental, and industrial markets in more than 100 countries around the globe. https://www.charm.com