Thermo Fisher Scientific launches horsemeat safety test

Thermo Fisher Scientific has reacted to the ongoing European horsemeat scandal by introducing a new test that can help detect the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals in equine meat.

Its Food Safety Response Centre has helped to develop a simple two-step test that can be used to screen horsemeat for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, also known as bute.

This powerful painkiller is banned in any horsemeat intended for human consumption, but the risk of accidental contamination has increased as a result of the current controversy, in which meat products sold throughout Europe have been found to contain traces of horse.

Dr Michal Godula, marketing manager for food safety and environmental applications for Thermo Fisher Scientific, said: "Lost in discussions of mislabeling and fraud is the fact that some horsemeat may contain chemicals that are toxic to humans, and our response … can rapidly detect bute and help protect the food supply."

Last month, the company announced a new research alliance with the University of Birmingham, which will involve studies in the fields of metabolomics and proteomics.