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.
Tags: FDA, Sample Preparation, pesticide analysis, QuEChERS, SVOC, pesticides, AOAC 2007.01, EN 15662.2008, USDA, EFSA
The food industry today is surrounded by an increasing amount of highly publicized food safety concerns. The role of food testing laboratories, though often behind the scenes, has become an integral component of the daily checks and balances of our food production system. With the release of the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, new requirements directly affecting food manufacturers and food testing laboratories may emerge. While many of the particulars still remain to be ironed out, the act mentions food laboratories 57 times and laboratory tests 29 times, and many anticipate forthcoming regulation.
Tags: Food Safety, Food Safety Labs, Food Manufacturing, FSMA, Food Safety Modernization Act, FDA, Accreditation, fo Food Testing Laboratory
I came across this intriguing article that was just too relevant to Teledyne Tekmar and Halloween, NOT to pass up.
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.
Tags: Food Testing Laboratory, pesticide analysis, pesticide, QuEChERS, Wine, SVOC, Automate-Q-40
Our recent Application Note: "Achieving Low-Level Detection of Benzene in Beverages with an Automated Headspace Vial Sampler" and accompanying webinar “Benzene in Beverages - How Low Can We Go” brought many thoughts to mind (to view Benzene Analysis resources and the webinar, please click the button at the bottom of this blog). Foremost was that I knew next to nothing about Benzene, how it could end up in my soft drink, and what potential health effects it might have. I remembered vaguely hearing about it in my childhood. My general conception was that there was nothing good about it. Being myself a wary food consumer (you’ll find me reading the back panels of food boxes in the grocery store), this was a subject for my inner food skeptic. What I discovered was not nearly as straight forward as I had presumed.
Tags: Purge and Trap Concentrator, Atomx, VOC, Headspace, HT3, Versa, Benzene, Beverage Analysis
We are happy to announce some dynamic changes in our blog content. Simply put, it was time for a change of philosophy. While our blog has always been a valuable resource for technical information, we recognized an opportunity to expand its subject matter, increase frequency, and ultimately create a more diverse, more useful forum. After all, we want users like you to benefit from its content, encounter something truly thought provoking, and come away with something valuable. We want you to return for the next post, and above all, we hope we move you to comment and participate in the discussion!
Tags: Blog Introduction
The battle of the headspace Titans continues in the Teledyne Tekmar applications lab. This time, the sample arena has moved to environmental compounds in beverages. Beverages formulated with sodium or potassium benzoate and ascorbic acid may form benzene at part per billion levels (ppb). The lowest current regulation found in the international water regulations for benzene is 1 ppb.
Tags: Headspace, HT3, Versa, Benzene, Beverage Analysis
Tags: Purge and Trap Concentrator, hydrogen, nitrogen, GC/MS, USEPA method 8260, USEPA Method 542.3, Purge Gas, Atomx, helium
Tags: TOC, Total Organic Carbon, Teledyne Tekmar
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:
Tags: Teledyne Tekmar, Food Testing Laboratory, food testing, pesticide analysis, pesticide, QuEChERS, Environmental Testing Laboratory, AutoMate, food extracts, extractions, pesticides, residue