Ensuring milk safety is a critical concern in the dairy industry. The presence of antibiotic residues in milk can pose serious health risks, impact product quality, and lead to regulatory non-compliance. Traditional antibiotic screening methods can be time-consuming, subjective, and prone to human error. To address these challenges, Eclipse 4G and COMET32 provide an automated and objective solution for detecting antibiotic residues in milk. This article explores how the Eclipse 4G test, when paired with the COMET32 incubator-reader, enhances efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in milk testing.
How Does Eclipse 4G & COMET32 Help You?
The COMET32 system automates the Eclipse 4G antibiotic screening assay, ensuring precise and reliable results without manual intervention. This system streamlines the testing process, making it both time-efficient and user-friendly. Here’s how it works:
Sample Application – A drop of milk is applied to the Eclipse 4G test plate.
Automated Incubation – The COMET32 device incubates the test at an optimal temperature.
Test Interpretation – The device monitors bacterial growth in real time, analyzing the color change in the culture medium.
Result Storage – COMET32 saves the test results digitally, allowing easy retrieval and review.
By automating these steps, the Eclipse 4G & COMET32 system helps standardize antibiotic testing, minimize errors, and improve lab efficiency. It allows sample management for up to 31 simultaneous tests, catering to large-scale dairy operations and small-scale farms alike.
Understanding the Test Principle
The Eclipse 4G test is based on the principle of bacterial growth inhibition. It detects antibiotic residues by monitoring the response of Geobacillus stearothermophilus, a thermophilic bacterium, in a specialized culture medium. Here’s how the test works:
In a controlled environment, bacterial spores germinate and multiply, acidifying the medium and changing its color from blue to yellow.
If antibiotics are present in the milk at concentrations above the detection limit, bacterial growth is inhibited, and the color change does not occur.
The COMET32 device continuously monitors the color change to determine whether antibiotic residues are present, ensuring real-time, objective interpretation of the test.
This innovative combination of Eclipse 4G and COMET32 eliminates subjective visual readings, providing highly accurate and repeatable results.
Technical Specifications
The Eclipse 4G & COMET32 system is designed to detect a wide range of antibiotic families in milk, making it a versatile solution for dairy testing. Here are the key technical specifications:
Scope: Detects over 50 antibiotics from 8 different families, including:
Beta-lactams
Tetracyclines
Sulfonamides
Macrolides
Aminoglycosides
Lincosamides
Ansamycins
Sulfones
Assay Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes for a complete test cycle.
Incubation Conditions: Single-stage incubation at 63°C.
Results Output: Displays both qualitative (negative/positive) and numerical results on the COMET32 screen.
Test Format: Allows testing from 1 to 31 samples per assay, providing flexibility for different testing needs.
Validation: The test is externally validated by the German laboratory MQD – Institute for Analytics, Hygiene and Product Quality GmbH, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
Benefits of Using Eclipse 4G & COMET32
Automation & Efficiency
Unlike traditional manual antibiotic tests, which require subjective analysis and manual incubation, the Eclipse 4G & COMET32 system automates the entire process. This reduces human error and frees up lab technicians to focus on other tasks.
Objective & Reliable Results
With real-time digital monitoring, results are no longer dependent on human interpretation. This ensures higher accuracy and repeatability, making compliance with dairy regulations easier.
Comprehensive Antibiotic Detection
Detecting over 50 antibiotics from 8 different families, the system provides a broad-spectrum solution for milk safety testing.
Cost-Effective & Scalable
By processing up to 31 samples per assay, the system improves testing efficiency, making it suitable for both small farms and large dairy processing units.
Regulatory Compliance
With validation from an independent laboratory, the Eclipse 4G & COMET32 system meets international safety standards, ensuring dairy producers comply with food safety regulations.
Antibiotic residues in milk pose significant challenges to dairy safety, but with the Eclipse 4G & COMET32 system, testing becomes faster, more reliable, and easier to standardize. By automating the screening process and providing real-time digital interpretations, this system ensures that dairy producers can confidently deliver safe, high-quality milk to consumers. Whether you manage a small dairy farm or a large-scale processing unit, integrating Eclipse 4G & COMET32 into your testing protocol will help safeguard product integrity and regulatory compliance.
