Food and Beverage Chemical Contaminant Testing

Význam tématu

The safety and integrity of the global food and beverage supply chain depend critically on the reliable detection of chemical contaminants such as pesticides, veterinary drugs, mycotoxins, alkaloids and PFAS. Regulatory limits are becoming more stringent worldwide, driving demand for sensitive, accurate and high-throughput analytical methods. Rapid screening and confirmatory analyses help producers, regulators and laboratories ensure compliance, protect consumer health and maintain product quality and authenticity.

Cíle a přehled studie / článku

This collection of application notes presents Waters’ latest analytical protocols for food contaminant testing. It aims to demonstrate scalable workflows for:

• Multi-residue pesticide analysis by GC-APGC-MS/MS and UPLC-MS/MS
• Polar and non-polar pesticide screening (QuEChERS, QuPPe)
• Automated preparation of matrix-matched standards
• Veterinary drug residue quantification in muscle, shrimp and dairy
• Mycotoxin detection (immunoaffinity cleanup, SPE, pass-through cleanup)
• Alkaloid and tropane toxin measurement in plant-derived foods
• PFAS analysis in diverse matrices using alkaline extraction and SPE

Použitá metodika a instrumentace

Common sample preparation approaches include QuEChERS for multi-pesticides, QuPPe for polar pesticides, trichloroacetic acid or alkaline digestions for veterinary drugs and PFAS, immunoaffinity columns for aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, HLB or WAX SPE and pass-through SPE for mycotoxins. Advanced LC and GC separations employ:

• Waters ACQUITY UPLC I-Class and UPLC H-Class PLUS systems
• Atmospheric Pressure GC (APGC) with PTV injection
• ACQUITY UPLC BEH Amide and Atlantis Premier BEH Z-HILIC columns
• Xevo TQ-XS, Xevo TQ-S micro and Xevo TQ Absolute tandem quadrupole mass spectrometers
• Fluorescence detectors with post-column derivatization for aflatoxins
• Automation via Andrew+ pipetting robot and Otto SPEcialist manifold

Hlavní výsledky a diskuse

Across hundreds of analytes, methods consistently achieved:

• Limits of quantification far below typical EU MRLs (often <0.001–0.01 mg/kg)
• Recoveries of 70–120% with RSDr typically <10%
• Excellent selectivity between isobaric compounds and matrix components
• Low matrix effects enabling solvent-based calibration after IAC cleanup
• Robust repeatability and reproducibility demonstrated in single- and multi-laboratory studies
• Automated standard preparation reducing hands-on time and human error

Přínosy a praktické využití metody

Implementation of these methods allows food testing laboratories to:

• Streamline workflows by consolidating multiple analyte classes into single analyses
• Reduce solvent use and waste via miniaturized injections and efficient cleanup
• Maintain compliance with international testing guidelines (SANTE, AOAC, CODEX)
• Increase throughput and reduce re-analysis through improved sensitivity
• Deploy automation to minimize repetitive strain and maximize consistency

Budoucí trendy a možnosti využití

Key future directions include integration of high-resolution mass spectrometry for untargeted screening, advances in micro-extraction and on-line cleanup, application of machine-learning for data analysis, IoT-enabled sample tracking and cloud-based informatics for collaborative method development and remote instrument monitoring.

Závěr

Waters’ suite of optimized sample preparation techniques, chromatography systems and tandem quadrupole instruments delivers sensitive, selective and robust workflows for comprehensive food contaminant analysis. Together with automated and informatics-driven approaches, these solutions empower laboratories to meet evolving regulatory demands and safeguard the global food supply.