Guide Covers the Latest Food Testing Methods and Technology
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 11, 2013 Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced the GC/MS/MS Pesticide Residue Analysis Guide, a comprehensive reference developed by Dr. Katerina Mastovska, the head of Excellcon International, LLC., in collaboration with scientists from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Agilent.
The detailed compendium outlines complete instructions for modifying and re-optimizing analytical methodology and standard operating procedures for analyzing pesticide residue in food. The compendium has also been successfully applied to pesticide GC/MS/MS analysis in drinking water at a state environmental laboratory.
The guide features a complete spectrum of resources for GC/MS/MS analysis, a companion sample preparation procedure, and instructions for expanding analytical methods using the Agilent Pesticide and Environmental Pollutant MRM Database.
Participants in this week's conference of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry in Minneapolis may receive copies of the guide and speak to Agilent scientists at Booth 109, or visit the Agilent Hospitality Suite in the evenings. Interested parties not attending the conference may contact their local Agilent representative to obtain copies.
"This guide is an excellent resource that provides laboratories with thorough instruction on pesticide analysis methodologies and delineates which pesticides are amenable to GC/MS/MS or to LC/MS/MS‹or both‹and also includes notes on how to address the most challenging pesticides," said Raymond Allum, environmental manager at Florida's Department of Agriculture Bureau of Chemical Residue Laboratories. "This method has proven to be robust and reliable, yielding excellent results across a wide variety of food matrices."
"Analysts are confronted with a number of options when it comes to QuEChERS modifications, calibration approaches, matrix-related issues and instrumental conditions," said Melissa Churley, Agilent's senior applications scientist. "Add to this, the question of GC or LC suitability for a subset of the complete list of analytes and the number of variables becomes almost insurmountable in terms of achieving a widely applicable, rugged GC-MS/MS method. Dr. Mastovska's recommended core method has proved to be a turnkey solution for a number of customers in the U.S. in that it was easily implemented within a few days. We believe this will be the case for many customers worldwide."
"Food, water and environmental safety regulations have never been more stringent, which means the onus lies squarely on laboratories to optimize their screening tools and procedures to ensure the validity and reliability of their results," said Terry Sheehan, Agilent's director of GC/MS marketing. "The good news is that there are highly sophisticated technologies available today to help them accomplish that feat.
"This valuable guide provides laboratories with a complete resource for identifying which of those technologies best fulfills their needs and how to develop rigorous testing methods to detect pesticides at the lowest levels possible, and obtain results with more confidence and speed than ever before."
The new GC/MS/MS Pesticide Residue Analysis Guide provides a recommended rugged GC/MS/MS method for pesticide multi-residue analysis using an Agilent 7000 Triple Quadrupole GC/MS. The guide also includes practical tips and considerations for method development, optimization, modification and routine use.
It discusses important aspects associated with GC and MS/MS analysis of pesticides, especially when dealing with matrix-related issues, which are largely affected by the chemical composition of the sample extract. For this reason, the guide also covers the basics of sample preparation in pesticide multi-residue analysis with the focus on the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) approach for which a recommended procedure is also provided.
Contents of Guide
- Multi-residue pesticide analysis overview
- QuEChERS history, modifications and cleanup options
- Use of internal quality/process control standards
- GC analysis of pesticides (matrix effects, injection techniques, calibration approaches, analyte protectants and column back-flushing)
- MS/MS detection considerations
- GC/MS/MS method development and optimization
- Method modifications for additional analytes
- Tables GC/MS/MS- vs. LC/MS/MS-amenable pesticides and pesticides requiring special consideration when using QuEChERS
- Example GC/MS/MS method standard operating procedure
- Example companion QuEChERS protocol, including reagent solution preparation instructions
- Detailed reference
The GC/MS/MS Pesticide Residue Analysis reference guide is part of Agilent's comprehensive mass spectrometry portfolio, which includes powerful GC/MS, LC/MS, and ICP-MS solutions for a variety of diverse applications.
About the Bureau of Chemical Residue Laboratories
The Bureau of Chemical Residue Laboratories in the Division of Food Safety, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is responsible for the chemical analysis of poisonous or deleterious chemical residues remaining in or on human food produced or marketed in Florida, as well as for the regulatory enforcement of federal pesticide and antibiotic residue tolerances and guidelines adopted by the state for raw agricultural produce.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, diagnostics, electronics and communications. The company's 20,500 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. Agilent had revenues of $6.9 billion in fiscal 2012. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com
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