Spotlight Food & Beverage Analysis
New Solutions Meet Needs Arising from Food Scare in Germany
Phenomenex, Inc announces the publication of a new method for the analysis of dioxins in animal feed and tissue using high-resolution gas chromatography with mass spec detection (HRGCMS). Demand for these analyses has grown significantly in recent weeks, since the discovery of dangerous levels of the cancer-causing chemicals in animal feed produced in Germany.
The new method, developed in collaboration with Vista Analytical, also analyses dioxin-like compounds dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are often monitored in conjunction with dioxins to give an overall toxic equivalent (TEQ) for a sample. Dioxins enter the environment and subsequently the food chain through combustion of organic materials in waste incineration. Recently 2,256 tons of fat, incorporated into feed products in Germany were found to be highly contaminated, posing the threat of chain-reaction through the food supply. Several countries have now banned imports of animal products from Germany as a precautionary measure.
“While dioxin contamination is generally on the decline due to aggressive regulatory action, we can still see accidents, such as the one in Germany,” explained Sky Countryman, Manager of Applications and Applied Technology for Phenomenex. “Robust analytical testing procedures are still in demand for the determination of potential dioxin threats in both feed and animal fat.”
A technical note on the new Phenomenex HRGC/MS method has just been published. The method was used to analyse non-organic chicken feed as well as fish from the Mississippi River and Great Lakes and shrimp from a variety of international sources.
Vista Analytical Laboratory is the premier provider of high-resolution mass spectrometry analytical services. With experience, expertise and responsiveness unmatched in the environmental industry, Vista has built an international reputation for performing difficult trace level analyses reliably on a variety of matrices while meeting or exceeding the most rigorous regulatory requirements.
Circle no. 352
Circle no. 351
Breaking the Mould?
Fast and Accurate Analysis of Food Samples
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc announced that Gruppo CSA, a leading Italian environmental research institute, has implemented the Thermo Scientific FLASH 4000 nitrogen/protein analyser to enable efficient and accurate nitrogen/protein determination in animal feed and human food samples. The analyser has set new standards for the efficiency of analyses at the institute and has provided unmatched precision while also facilitating increased sample capacity and high
sample throughput. As a result of the increase in speed and throughput of analyses, Gruppo CSA has been able to expand its range of services to customers.
The institute has seen a surge in the number of animal feed analyses that it performs due to a recent European Commission initiative that provides a financial incentive for farmers producing dehydrated alfalfa with levels of protein above 15%. In response to customer demand, Gruppo CSA is required to conduct rapid nitrogen/protein analysis on high quantities of dehydrated alfalfa in adherence with the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) 992.23 method. To address the growing analytical requirements while also remaining compliant with industry regulations, Gruppo CSA selected the Thermo Scientific FLASH 4000 nitrogen/protein analyser.
Prior to implementing the FLASH 4000 instrument, Gruppo CSA utilised the traditional Kjeldahl method for its nitrogen/protein analyses. However, the method suffers from a number of challenges, namely that it is extremely time-consuming, requiring more than four hours to complete a single analytical cycle of just 20 samples.
The method also requires the use of acids at extremely high temperatures, posing a significant safety risk. Working with the Dumas combustion method for protein analysis, the FLASH 4000 overcomes these challenges, increasing overall productivity and cost-efficiency while also eliminating the use of corrosive acids, which improves health and safety conditions within the institute.
The FLASH 4000 now enables Gruppo CSA’s team to process up to 50 samples in a single cycle, while the four-hour cycle time has been dramatically reduced to just 10 minutes. The FLASH 4000 can run unattended and overnight, saving time for the institute’s technicians and increasing overall throughput. The elimination of dangerous acids and toxic reagents has also meant that the instrument is much easier to clean and maintain, particularly with the inclusion of a self-cleaning filter, saving both time and money.
Circle no. 354
Enhanced Method for Monitoring Hydroxymethylfurfural Levels in Food and Biomass
Dionex is proud to announce a new high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD)-based method for the determination of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in samples ranging from food (honey and pancake syrup) to treated biomass (corn stover and wood hydrolysate). Application Note 270: Determination of Hydroxymethylfurfural in Honey and Biomass demonstrates that this method has a broad linear range, high precisions, and low detection limits. This system configuration requires only addition of deionised water for continuous operation.
HMF is naturally found in many foods and can increase during cooking or processing. The concentration of HMF can indicate food quality and authenticity, and some countries have proposed limits to its content in food. In addition, HMF formed during the treatment of biomass to produce biofuels can inhibit fermentation, reducing yields. It is also used as a starting material to produce other chemicals currently derived from crude oil.
This application note describes the use of a Dionex ICS-3000 system with a CarboPac® PA1 column,
electrolytically generated hydroxide eluent, and electrochemical detection with a disposable Au-on- polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) working electrode. The CarboPac PA1 is a high-capacity, rugged column suitable for determining mono and disaccharides, and has high resolution for HMF in a wide variety of matrices. The disposable Au working electrode provides consistently high detector response, assuring greater instrument-to-instrument and lab-to-lab reproducibility. The HPAE-PAD-based HMF analysis method described in AN 270 is accurate, reliable, and applicable to on-line monitoring of HMF levels in food and biomass applications.
Circle no. 355
Battling yeast and mould contamination in foodstuffs requires specialist culture media and Lab M has added Dichloran 18% Glycerol Agar (DG18 Agar) ISO to the armoury. Designed specifically to enhance the growth of viable osmophilic yeasts and xerophilic moulds from low water activity environments, this complete formulation requires no additional supplementation, minimising media preparation time and reducing procurement needs and costs. DG18 complies both with current ISO requirements and methods set out in the Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM), supporting testing laboratories in achieving their quality standards.
Complementing DG18 is Lab M’s Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar (ISO), which is designed for the enumeration of viable yeasts and moulds in products with a higher water activity - above 0.95. It too is quick and easy to make up, requiring no additional supplementation. Prepared according to ISO 21527-1:2008 it complies with BAM, as well as American Public Health Association (APHA), methods.
Circle no. 353
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
