# Enhancing Food Testing Capabilities at the WVDA through Discipline B: Chemistry; Analytical Track 4: Chemistry Capability / Capacity Development

> **NIH FDA U19** · WEST VIRGINIA STATE DEPT OF AGRICULTURE · 2020 · $52,792

## Abstract

WVDA B.4. Project Summary 
 Food allergens are typically naturally occurring proteins in foods that cause abnormal 
immune responses. The prevalence of food allergens around the world is believed to be 
increasing over time. Practically all foods have the capacity to cause an allergic reaction to a 
person who has become sensitive to the proteins it contains; however, most allergic reactions 
come from crustaceans, eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, wheat, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, 
coconut, hazelnut, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, and gluten. 
 The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is proposing to add allergen testing to the 
current testing capabilities of the WVDA Chemistry Laboratories. This will include the purchase 
of the MagPix System with XPonent 4.2 instrument to conduct the analysis. The instrument is 
capable of detecting all the most common food allergens listed above. This would significantly 
increase the overall testing capabilities for the state of West Virginia by adding a completely 
new technology to our current repertoire. 
 In order to expand these our capabilities, the WVDA will comply with the current WV 
purchasing guidelines. WVDA staff will specifically aim to write standard operating procedures, 
order supplies, conduct training, and demonstrate competency through proficiency and 
operational system checks. After this has been successfully completed, the WVDA will conduct 
an internal exercise to determine the total number of surge samples that can be tested by one 
laboratorian in a week using the new technology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10170842
- **Project number:** 1U19FD007093-01
- **Recipient organization:** WEST VIRGINIA STATE DEPT OF AGRICULTURE
- **Principal Investigator:** AMIE J MINOR
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $52,792
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10170842

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10170842, Enhancing Food Testing Capabilities at the WVDA through Discipline B: Chemistry; Analytical Track 4: Chemistry Capability / Capacity Development (1U19FD007093-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10170842. Licensed CC0.

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