Vendor seminars

Ensuring the authenticity & safety of food with new advances in LC-MS/MS workflows – bringing routine closer than ever

Ashley Sage PhD
SCIEX, Warrington, Cheshire, UK
e-mail: Ashley.sage@sciex.com

Abstract

Food testing can be a challenging and complex job. From sample preparation (so many different matrices!) to residue detection (so many different compounds from pesticides and mycotoxins, and not to mention the mysterious unknowns!), going from the raw sample to the final result of “What is in this food sample?” is no trivial task. And how do you know that the food is authentic or allergen free?

Luckily, a number of analytical tools and workflows are available to ease the pain and help you to answer the question above, quickly and efficiently, but also with the confidence that you arrived at the right result, every time.

In this presentation, we will describe new LC-MS/MS technology and software tools that will make your food testing workflows more routine than ever. We will highlight new High Resolution LC-MS/MS instrumentation that can allow you to screen large samples sets for hundreds of contaminants and residues, whilst reducing the risk of reporting a positive results and lowering the likelihood of missing a result (fewer false positives).  We will also show new routines for bringing together both quantitation and identification data into a single, intuitive to use platform, for streamlined data interrogation, and touch upon novel ways to reduce troublesome matrix interferences. We will also highlight new developments from SCIEX in routine methods for the authenticity of meat and allergen detection in foodstuffs using LC-MS/MS.

Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry: An Emerging Disruptive Technology for Food Characterisation?

Dr Sara Stead
Senior Strategic Collaborations Manager Food and Environmental
Waters Corporation, Stamford House, Altrincham Road, Wilmslow, SK9 4AX, UK

Abstract

Mass spectrometry has traditionally been one of the ‘last resorts’ for food quality and composition analysis. While gas chromatography-MS (GC-MS), GC isotope ratio-MS (GC IR-MS), and liquid chromatography-MS (LC-MS) are widely used for food and agricultural product analysis, MS methods (including these) are generally considered to be slow, expensive and not amenable for routine application, mostly due to laborious sample preparation procedures. The advent of ambient ionization mass spectrometric methods remove most of the constraints associated with sample preparation and opened new opportunities for point-of-control monitoring.

Since ambient ionization MS (AIMS) methods require minimal or no sample preparation, the use of internal standards (or even external calibrators) is often impossible, resulting in the lack of quantitative information provided by these methods. Nevertheless, the spectral profiles are highly characteristic of the type, origin, age, etc. of the sample, which makes these approaches excellent for rapid profiling analysis. In these cases the MS spectral information is used as a ‘fingerprint’ for the identification of critical attributes associated with both the genetic origin and environmental exposure of the sample.

Rapid Evaporative Ionization MS (REIMS) was originally developed as a direct combination of electrosurgery (surgical diathermy) and MS, for the intraoperative identification of cancerous tissue and surgical margin control. However, it has become clear from extensive collaborative studies with the food testing industry that the method can equally be used for the instantaneous characterisation of meat and fish as well as practically any water-containing food commodity and has potential for the development of an automated at-line testing platform.

Proof-of-principle applications have been developed addressing various food quality and composition testing requirements, e.g. detection of undeclared ingredients in processed foods and establishing authenticity of various products, e.g. Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status dairy products, processed meats, farming production method (organic vs. conventional), geographical origin of pistachio nuts and botanical origin of monofloral honey.

Both vendor seminars will take place on
May 10th, 1.00 – 2.00 pm

Please note: participants who decided to attend vendor seminars will be offered a lunch bit by the seminars organizers.

Registration IS CLOSED.
You can still partecipate by asking the organizers for a last minute subscription, during the conference days.