# Enhance Capacity and Capability of State Human and Animal Food Testing - Nebraska Department of Agriculture

> **NIH FDA U19** · NEBRASKA ST DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE · 2024 · $190,743

## Abstract

PAR‐20‐105: Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM) (U19) Clinical Trials Not Allowed
Overall Summary
 The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Laboratory is applying for the Laboratory
Flexible Funding Model to build and maintain our human and animal food testing capacity in support of
the Integrated Food Safety System. The scope of ISO 17025 accreditation of the NDA Laboratory
contains six food microbiology and four food/feed chemistry methods. Over the years, ISO/IEC 17025
accreditation has become a part of our culture. We follow written procedures in our quality
management system to ensure that our analysts are trained and authorized to perform sample
receiving, sample preparation, scope methods, and to review data before issuing a final test report. We
also have piloted the submission of FDA data through the National Food Safety Data Exchange. Our
Quality Assurance teammates perform internal audits on each accredited method every four years and
our management system every two years.
 The NDA Laboratory has been an active member of the Food Emergency Response Network
(FERN) since September 2006. We have a long history of performing FERN PT exercises and a series of
small‐scale method development, validation, and matrix extension studies to strengthen our
capabilities. In times of emergency, we are able to rearrange testing priorities. We also are very willing
to take on special projects that help us enhance our human and animal food testing practices. For
instance, we participated on the Partnership for Food Protection Lab Sciences Workgroup subcommittee
to develop a Compliance Review Checklist.
 We have plans to refresh several pieces of equipment. An ABI 7500 will replace the BAX to
expand detection of food safety pathogens. We can use the ABI 7500 to develop Cyclospora testing
capacity. An Agilent LC‐MS‐MS on loan from FDA will be replaced by a Vanquish Flex binary UHPLC
coupled with an Orbitrap Exploris 120 MS. We have several ideas for chemistry method development to
enhance national food testing surveillance programs. We also plan to remodel part of our feed testing
laboratory to include more sample grinding space, which will increase our sample throughput for animal
food product testing.
 We will collaborate with agency regulatory programs to meet our sample collection needs for
human and animal food surveillance projects. These activities support Manufactured Foods Regulatory
Program Standards and Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards. These food surveillance data can
contribute the national goal of driving risk‐based and prevention focused food safety objectives.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10880304
- **Project number:** 5U19FD007083-05
- **Recipient organization:** NEBRASKA ST DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
- **Principal Investigator:** Erik Pearson
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $190,743
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10880304

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10880304, Enhance Capacity and Capability of State Human and Animal Food Testing - Nebraska Department of Agriculture (5U19FD007083-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10880304. Licensed CC0.

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