3M buys Elution Technologies, expands allergy testing capabilities

  3M has acquired Vermont-based allergy testing kit manufacturer Elution Technologies. The company creates test kits to screen products for potentially harmful allergens including peanuts, soy or milk.

Polly Foss, general manager of 3M Food Safety, said the Elution test kits use proven technology and an easy-to-use design. That means the kits can deliver fast and accurate results for companies offering peanut-free, gluten-free and other specialized foods for people with sensitivities and allergies.

A 2011 study published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology underscores why testing for allergens has become increasingly important to food and beverage processors and their customers. According to the study, someone is the U.S. is rushed to an emergency room every three minutes due to an allergic reaction to something in their food. In some of those cases, those substances were never intended to be in the products.

Bia Diagnostics and Immunology Consultants Laboratory founded Elution Technologies in 2012. Since then, the company has developed a wide range of allergen tests. The purchase adds more than 30 allergen-specific lateral-flow and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test kits to 3M food safety’s inventory of tests.