In less than one minute, dairies can be confident that liquid milk products are completely pasteurized using the Charm F-AP (Fast Alkaline Phosphatase) test. The F-AP test is a second generation chemiluminescence test, modeled after PasLite, an ISO standardized method. F-AP detects alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme that is destroyed during pasteurization.
The F-AP test is not only fast, it is easy to perform and simple to calibrate. Add a milk sample to an F-AP vial. Insert the vial in the Charm novaLUM luminometer, mix, and read results. The novaLUM measures the amount of light emitted, which is directly proportional to the amount of active phosphatase enzyme in the sample.
The F-AP test limit of detection for liquid dairy products is 20 milliunits per liter (mU/L) phosphatase (approximately 0.002% raw milk), well below the 350 mU/L level (0.1% raw milk) required by most public health agencies. The F-AP method has been independently evaluated and published as an equivalent method to PasLite. F-AP is recognized in the US Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for verification of dairy pasteurization.
- Results in 45 seconds (creams and chocolate milks require 90 second analysis)
- Limit of detection below public health guidelines
- Tests liquid dairy products (milk, flavored milk, cream)
- Approved by the US NCIMS, New Zealand NZFSA, and Tasmania TDIA
- No incubation; no sample preparation required for milk and cream
- Easily incorporated into a HACCP program
- Results can be read in the novaLUM ATP detection system