Tekmar Talk Blog

New Tools Help Michigan Fruit Harvesters Manage and Maximize Insecticide Use

Posted by Betsey Seibel on Wed, Aug 05, 2015 @ 05:14 PM

Early in 2015, entomologists in Michigan were concerned about the possible threat of the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) on tart cherries. The same pest had wreaked havoc on soft fruits and berries, so producers in the nation’s largest tart cherry production area had the right to be worried.

 

According to SpottedWing.org, the SWD is “an insect pest of economically valuable small fruit and tree fruit crops.” The specie is particularly well known in the Pacific Northwest, but has spread to established fruit growing regions across the country. It was discovered in 2014, that “insecticides that are effective against cherry fruit fly are not effective against SWD. So presence of the insect could result in the growers having to apply from 1.5 to 3 more sprays per season… using different materials.”[i] Experts consider the SWD a “game changer for tart cherry growers.”[ii]

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Tags: QuEChERS, SVOC

Are Pesticide Residues to blame for the Decline in Bee Population?

Posted by Betsey Seibel on Mon, Sep 29, 2014 @ 07:22 PM

It’s no secret that the honey bee is disappearing at an alarming rate and organizations from the public and private sectors are looking for ways to reverse the trend. In fact U.S. President Barack Obama announced in June the creation of a task force to address the diminishing population of honey bees and other pollinators. The efforts of the honey bee are critical for the food industry as they pollinate fruit, nuts and vegetables. “Globally, 87 of the leading 115 food crops evaluated are dependent on animal population.” In addition, these “Pollinators contribute more than $24 billion to the United States economy, of which honey bees account for more than $15 billion.”[i]

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Tags: QuEChERS, SVOC, Automate-Q-40, Pesticide Residue, Honey

The Basics: QuEChERS Step by Step

Posted by Jason Davis on Mon, Nov 18, 2013 @ 01:24 PM

With the release of Teledyne Tekmar’s AutoMate-Q40, I thought it was the perfect time to explain the QuEChERS Method that the instrument is based on. Below is a basic, but thorough, overview of what QuEChERS is and how it is performed manually step by step.

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Tags: FDA, Sample Preparation, pesticide analysis, QuEChERS, SVOC, pesticides, AOAC 2007.01, EN 15662.2008, USDA, EFSA

Uncorked: Study Finds Pesticide in French Wine

Posted by Jason Davis on Fri, Oct 25, 2013 @ 09:33 AM

Overview

Wine is often regarded as one of man’s greatest accomplishments. A pinnacle of craft that requires knowledge of soil, weather, geography, geology, grapes, fermentation, and time.  You can use the word “terroir” in reference to it, and impress (and perplex) everyone around you.  It makes you wait a painstakingly long time before the end results, and then it is subjected to intense scrutiny (using intimidating terms like chewy, earthy, fleshy and jammy).  And hopefully, after all of this, it provides “unparalleled” rewards to the human palette.

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Tags: Food Testing Laboratory, pesticide analysis, pesticide, QuEChERS, Wine, SVOC, Automate-Q-40

Total Solution for Food and Environmental Laboratory Testing

Posted by Teledyne Tekmar on Mon, Jun 03, 2013 @ 09:24 PM

Over the past few months, Ab Sciex hosted a technical talk with invited guest from Teledyne Tekmar, Phenomenex, and Gerstel on driving innovation, “Better Ideas for the Modern Food and Environmental Testing Laboratory”. The goal of this workshop was to show that collectively these companies could create a total solution for food and environmental laboratory testing.  It, also, served as a forum to talk about pertinent issues and challenges in regards to food testing.  Teledyne Tekmar was privileged to introduce the new AutoMate-Q40 a revolutionary system specifically designed and optimized to automate the QuEChERS sample preparation workflow. The AutoMate-Q40 system automates the following sampler preparation functions:

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Tags: Teledyne Tekmar, Food Testing Laboratory, food testing, pesticide analysis, pesticide, QuEChERS, Environmental Testing Laboratory, AutoMate, food extracts, extractions, pesticides, residue

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