Eurofins North America food division announced the successful purchase of Craft Technologies, Inc., a contract laboratory providing analysis of nutrients, vitamins, carotenoids, bioflavonoids and phytochemicals.
Craft Technologies, located in Wilson, N.C., employs a team of top scientists and technical staff serving private industry, governments and academia world-wide. The lab occupies over 10,000 square feet and includes a range of instrumentation for HPLC, UHPLC, GC, MS, spectrophotometric, fluorometric, ELISA and clinical testing. Craft Technologies brings a broad scope of analytical services to Eurofins for products ranging from human and animal foods, to dietary supplements, biological samples and tissues.
"I am excited to have Neal Craft and his team bringing strength in biologically active components," said Lars Reimann, Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins Scientific, Inc. "They will have capabilities that are a nice addition to the standard routine performances within the Eurofins Group currently."
Craft Technologies' alignment with Eurofins carries with it a portfolio of work in fighting global nutrition challenges. Most recently, the lab received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to identify and test methods of collecting finger-stick blood spot samples and measuring 11 nutritional biomarkers. The goal is to apply the findings of this research in developing countries with adverse health, environmental and infrastructure conditions.
Since its founding, Craft Technologies has been involved in global nutrition assessment. In 1994 the lab developed a test for Vitamin A in dried blood spot that has since been used in over 17 developing nations. The biochemical analysis the lab provides enables clients around the globe to test components in a broad variety of matrices and determine if populations in developing countries are in need of nutritional intervention.
Recent work at the lab has focused on meeting analysis needs for Vitamin K, Vitamin D, bixin/norbixin, curcuminoids, anthocyanins, less common carotenoids, nutritional biomarkers, and very high-resolution separations. Craft Technologies will also bring new vitamin analyses to the Eurofins Group, including assays for hydroxylated Vitamin D and Vitamin D metabolites in biological samples, and Vitamin K tests for menaquinones including MK-4, MK-7, and MK-9.
"Craft Technologies has good technical competence and a strong customer focus, I cannot see anything more fitting," said Reimann.
Statement from Neal Craft, President, Craft Technologies, Inc.: "We are looking forward to a bright future with Eurofins and we are hoping to make a significant contribution in areas that the group may not have a large presence currently. For a long time, people have said that Craft Technologies is the best kept secret in this area. By becoming part of the Eurofins international group of labs we will be able to let the secret out and have a bigger impact as a result of this association."
Statement from David Bryant, Group Senior Vice President North America: "Neal and his team bring us tremendous synergy with their deep level of expertise and experience. From a technical standpoint, their knowledge of testing and assay development in food chemistry and nutritional supplements is well known within industry and government agencies. Craft's continued pursuit of excellence and commitment to developing new technical competencies is important to the mission of Eurofins and for our customers' satisfaction."
