Camarillo, CA and Wilmington, DE 12/14/16—Microbiology and life science firm Hygiena has agreed to acquire DuPont Nutrition & Health’s food safety diagnostics business for an undisclosed amount. Hygiena will acquire systems and test kits; sales, R&D and manufacturing organization; and production capacity. The systems include DuPont’s BAX PCR products for food safety testing and its RiboPrinter ribotyping system for microbial monitoring. “The combined company’s microbiology products will cover the full manufacturing process, from in-process environmental tests to finished product tests,” stated Hygiena CEO Steve Nason. “In addition, the combination increases our customer service presence in the United States and internationally, which will allow us to further enhance our research and development efforts and support to our combined customer base.” DuPont stated that it was selling the business in order to focus on its specialty food ingredients portfolio. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.

The BAX system enables both real-time and end-point PCR, and is based on technology licensed from Roche, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Applied Biosystems) and QIAGEN (formerly DxS). According to delawareonline, DuPont’s food safety diagnostics business has about 70 employees. The acquisition adds PCR technology to Hygiena’s food safety product lines, which also includs ATP systems and tests, as well as allergen and surface-residue tests.