Release of a Certified Reference Material to facilitate the re-authorisation of processed animal proteins in feed

The JRC released a Certified Reference Material (CRM) ERM-AD484k for the detection of poultry (chicken and turkey) constituents in feed.

In 2001, a total feed ban of processed animal proteins (PAP) was introduced to tackle the mad cow disease or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic. In the years to follow, a TSE Roadmap was developed for the controlled re-authorisation of PAPs in feed while assuring a high level of food safety. This resulted in a gradual lifting of parts of the 2001 ban.

Twenty years later, PAPs derived from non-ruminant farmed animals have been re-authorised in feed of other non-ruminant farmed animals through Commission Regulation (EU) No 2021/1372, while maintaining the ban on intra-species recycling. To ensure food safety, official controls for the detection of PAPs were put in place.

The European Union Reference Laboratory for Animal Proteins (EURL-AP), hosted by the Centre Wallon de Recherches Agronomiques in Gembloux, Belgium, developed and validated a DNA-based method for the detection of animal proteins of poultry (chicken and turkey) origin.

The JRC Geel produced CRM ERM-AD484k, a set of calibration solutions in support of this method. The reference material is certified for amounts of a chicken and turkey specific DNA fragment expressed in DNA copy number concentrations and will allow control laboratories to determine their individual cut-off values for presence/absence decisions.

Further details on the CRM can be found in the certification report: ERM-AD484k.