NEOGEN Corporation NEOG recently announced the completion of its acquisition of Ireland-based Megazyme, Ltd., a renowned supplier of analytical solutions to quality control laboratories in the global food and beverage industry. Following the buyout, Megazyme will continue to operate as a standalone business but will be managed through NEOGEN’s European operations in Scotland.However, the terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.With the latest buyout, NEOGEN aims to strengthen its Food Safety business on a global scale.Rationale Behind the BuyoutPer NEOGEN’s management, the addition of Megazyme’s product line to NEOGEN’s food safety products will allow it to expand its commercial relationships across food companies. This will aid the company to ensure food safety along with improved quality and nutritional content. The buyout is expected to strengthen NEOGEN’s relationships with the largest food producers and those companies that are working toward ensuring food security and quality.Industry ProspectsPer a report by Grand View Research, the global food safety testing market was estimated to be $18 billion in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 7.7% between 2019 and 2025. Factors like increasing demand for packaged and processed food, rising incidents of chemical contamination in food processing industries and growing consumer awareness about food safety are expected to drive the market.Given the market potential, the recent acquisition is expected to significantly boost NEOGEN’s business worldwide.Recent Developments in Food SafetyOf late, NEOGEN has been witnessing a few developments in this business arm.The company, during its fiscal 2021 second-quarter earnings call in December 2020, witnessed a robust performance by the food safety segment. The uptick in segmental revenues primarily resulted from strength in its sales of Soleris microbial testing system, Soleris Next Generation, and Listeria Right Now test system.The same month, NEOGEN developed the new Reveal tests for horse, beef, sheep and poultry to determine meat speciation in raw meat and environmental samples in just a few minutes.In October, NEOGEN launched a new food extraction method, Reveal 3-D Food Buffer, that expands the capabilities of select Reveal 3-D food allergen tests to include the direct testing of food products. Additionally, NEOGEN launched Reveal 3-D for Gluten, which offers the capability of extracting and testing food products and ingredient samples as well as environmental samples and clean-in-place rinses.Price PerformanceShares of the company have gained 24.5% in the past year compared with the industry and S&P 500’s 5.2% and 17.1% growth, respectively.Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderCurrently, NEOGEN carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).Some better-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are Hologic, Inc. HOLX, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. IDXX and Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation IART.Hologic’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 17.4%. The company presently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.IDEXX’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 15.8%. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Integra’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 9%. The company presently carries a Zacks Rank #2.Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit PotentialThe biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +50%, +83% and +164% in as little as 2 months. The stocks in this report could perform even better.See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Hologic, Inc. (HOLX): Free Stock Analysis Report Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (IART): Free Stock Analysis Report Neogen Corporation (NEOG): Free Stock Analysis Report IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research