BIOHIT OYJ EXPANDS ITS SERVICE LABORATORY OFFERING WITH ACETALDEHYDE DETERMINATIONS
Biohit now offers determination services for carcinogenic acetaldehyde to the
food and drink industry, among others.
Biohit's diagnostics business specialises in safe and cost-effective diagnostic
systems for diseases of the digestive tract. The company has also brought to
market acetaldehyde binding medical products to reduce the risk of cancers of
the upper gastrointestinal tract. These products have been developed in
cooperation with the scientific community.
Biohit has now expanded this business, investing in both technology and
expertise, so that the carcinogenic acetaldehyde contained in, for example,
foodstuffs and alcoholic beverages can be measured. Companies in the food and
drink industry will now be able to send product samples to Biohit for analysis,
thereby enabling them to offer safer products to their customers. Biohit
believes that its assay services will also be used by a variety of research
institutions, supervisory authorities and possibly even consumers. Guidelines
for sending samples are available at:
www.biohit.com/diagnostics/determination-of-acetaldehyde.
In addition to its assay services, Biohit is also commercialising its BioFood
innovation. BioFood can significantly reduce - or even completely remove - the
acetaldehyde contained in, for example, beer, wine, strong alcoholic beverages
and yoghurts. BioFood's core target customer group comprises companies in the
food and drink industry. For such companies BioFood, when used in conjunction
with Biohit's assay services, will open up new avenues for product development.
The health risks associated with acetaldehyde reached the public eye in October
2009, when the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on
Cancer (WHO, IARC) classed the acetaldehyde contained in or endogenously
produced from alcoholic beverages as a Class 1 carcinogen, that is, a substance
that causes cancer in humans (www.biohit.com). Since the WHO's verdict,
acetaldehyde has been in the same hazard class as, for example, asbestos,
arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde and smoking.
Acetaldehyde exposure is cumulative, and we should therefore attempt to reduce
it by all possible means. The easiest way is to quit smoking and reduce alcohol
consumption. Exposure can also be reduced by consuming alcoholic beverages that
contain as little acetaldehyde as possible in additive form. Alcoholic beverages
with acetaldehyde concentrations of almost zero are already available. It can,
however, be difficult for consumers to make right choices, as there are also
alcoholic beverages whose acetaldehyde concentrations are up to 500 times over
the safe limit.
Choosing beverages and foodstuffs that do not contain any alcohol and/or
acetaldehyde whatsoever can also significantly reduce acetaldehyde exposure.
Drinking habits and good dental hygiene can also influence your personal
exposure to acetaldehyde.
The risk of acetaldehyde exposure is fairly widespread. This is evident in a
recent study conducted at Biohit's service laboratory. The acetaldehyde volume
of three out of fifteen medium-strength brands of beer exceeded permitted levels
(over 100 µmol /l), and three brands also had an acetaldehyde volume that was
significantly over the risk threshold. The other brands studied also contained
acetaldehyde, but in concentrations under the risk threshold (40 µmol /l).
Foodstuffs may contain large amounts of acetaldehyde
Foodstuffs are the primary source of acetaldehyde exposure for non-smokers,
non-drinkers and those who use alcohol in moderation. Acetaldehyde is used in
flavourings and may either be present as an additive or generated during the
production process itself.
Beverages containing over 2.8 per cent ethanol are classed as alcoholic
beverages. Foodstuffs and so-called non-alcoholic beverages can contain 1-2 per
cent alcohol and free acetaldehyde in concentrations of up to 3,000 µmol/l
(home-brewed beer, for example). They expose the mucosa of the upper
gastrointestinal tract to acetaldehyde through practically identical mechanisms
as alcoholic beverages.
More information on acetaldehyde exposure and detailed guidelines are available
on our website:
www.biohit.com/diagnostics/determination-of-acetaldehyde
www.biohit.com/acetium
For more information, contact:
Jussi Heiniö, President & CEO
Email: jussi.heinio@biohit.com
Tel: +358 (0)9 773 861
Mikko Salaspuro, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus
Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki
Biohit Oyj's scientific advisor
and Member of the Board
Email: mikko.salaspuro@helsinki.fi
Tel: +358(0)500 511 689
Biohit Oyj is a Finnish biotechnology company that was established by Professor
Osmo Suovaniemi in 1988 and was listed on the Helsinki exchange in 1999 (NASDAQ
OMX Helsinki). The company takes a focused, long-term approach and applies an
aggressive innovation and patenting strategy. This strategy was both developed
and successfully used by Suovaniemi. By the mid-1980s, the two companies he had
founded in the 1970s - Labsystems Oyj and the joint venture Eflab Oy - were the
fastest growing and largest companies in the industry in Finland (http://
www.google.com / search for ”Osmo Suovaniemi vertical measurement principle”).
Biohit works with scientific communities to generate research results that can
be used as the basis for new technologies, products and services. Biohit's
innovations seek to enhance the safety and cost-effectiveness of liquid handling
in laboratories, and also to promote the prevention and early diagnosis of
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Biohit operates in two business areas: liquid handling and diagnostics. The
company's liquid handling range includes electronic and mechanical pipettes,
disposable tips, and pipette calibration and maintenance services for research
institutions, healthcare and industrial laboratories. Biohit's diagnostics
business produces products and analysis systems for the early diagnosis of
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. These include the GastroPanel
examination to diagnose diseases of the stomach and their associated risks,
quick tests for lactose intolerance and Helicobacter pylori infection, and the
ColonView examination for the early detection of intestinal bleeding
(www.biohit.com/diagnostics).
The GastroPanel and ColonView tests yield a great deal of information and are
recommended for the primary examination of patients presenting dyspepsia
complaints (such as indigestion and pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen)
(www.biohit.com/diagnostics). Before these tests were available, self-care with
pharmaceuticals or yoghurts could delay the diagnosis of treatable cancers,
including gastric and colorectal cancer, until they were incurable.
The diagnostics business's goal is to prevent diseases of the gastrointestinal
tract. In line with this strategy, Biohit has developed the Acetium capsule to
remove carcinogenic acetaldehyde from the stomach. Acetium is available from
pharmacies in Finland without prescription.
