News
9-February 2012 – LGC
Standards offers new reference materials to improve stilbene
detection
Stilbenes remain banned for use in
livestock – LGC Standards provides improved reference materials for
increased detection rates
LGC
Standards, Europe’s leading supplier of reference materials,
has introduced two new reference materials for stilbenes in bovine
urine, expanding further its range from the Institute for Reference
Materials and Measurements (IRMM).
Collectively known as stilbenes, diethylstilbestrol (DES),
hexestrol (HEX) and dienestrol (DE) are oestrogenic hormones that
are prohibited worldwide for use in food-producing livestock. Their
use as growth promoting agents in veal and calf production is
banned and the compounds form part of the national sampling and
monitoring plans as stipulated by European legislation (Council
Directive 96/23/EC).
Available from LGC Standards, the two reference materials
comprising ERM-BB389 (DES, DE, HEX in bovine urine) and ERM-BB386
(stilbene blank material) are preparations of new materials to
replace the stilbene-containing CRMs BCR-389 (DES), BCR-390 (DE),
and BCR-391 (HEX) and the respective blank materials BCR-386,
BCR-387, BCR-388.
Stilbene concentrations have been lowered from 13 - 34 µg/kg in
the previous materials to 1 - 6 µg/kg per substance in the new
CRMs, thereby providing improved confidence in the high sensitivity
detection of these banned substances. In addition, the new unit
size allows for more replicates per unit to be taken.
These new, improved reference materials are intended to be used
for method validation purposes (trueness estimation) and method
performance control. The certified value for ERM-BB389 amounts to
1.1 ± 0.5 μg/kg (DES), 5.5 ± 1.4 μg/kg (DE), 6.1 ± 0.9
μg/kg (HEX) and is based on an inter-laboratory characterisation
study; the uncertainty value contains contributions from the
characterisation study, and the homogeneity and stability
assessment. The values are traceable to the International System of
Units (SI) and the materials have been processed and certified in
accordance to ISO Guides 34 and 35.
For further information on these new stilbene reference
materials, contact your local LGC Standards
sales office, or email: askus@lgcstandards.com.
Customers within the UK can place an order through the
LGC webshop.
- Ends-
Notes to editors