The Column-04-10-2015

Scientists from SGC Environmental Services in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA, have demonstrated the development and validation of a method for the analysis of five persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from 50 ?L dried blood spots. The work was presented as a poster at Dioxin 2014, held in Madrid, Spain, from 31 August to 5 September.

Scientists at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA, have discovered that olfactory cues can indicate pregnancy and foetal sex in the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta). Using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS), the team found that lemurs carrying male offspring exhibited a different volatile chemical profile to those carrying a female.

Cedrol, a sequisterpene alcohol found in the essential oil of connifers, could be a potent chemical cue for pregnant mosquitoes seeking the ideal location to lay their eggs. The compound was identified in a study looking at how mosquitoes find the ideal water body to lay their eggs. According to the study published in the Malaria Journal, cedrol could be used in the development of “attract and kill” traps targeting pregnant mosquitoes and reducing the spread of malaria.

Changes to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regulations on food labelling, and the strengths and limitations of new and existing methods for the detection of allergens in food are discussed in this article.

This instalment of Tips & Tricks discusses the different approaches for determining the refractive index increment (dn/dc).

Bethany Degg of The Column spoke to James Neal-Kababick, who is the Founder and Director of Flora Research Laboratories (FRL) in Oregon, USA, about phytoforensic science and his work on analyzing dietary supplements previously recalled by the US FDA.

Click the title above to open The Column April 10, 2015 Europe & Asia issue, Volume 11, Number 6, in an interactive PDF format.

Click the title above to open The Column April 10, 2015 North American issue, Volume 11, Number 6, in an interactive PDF format.

Beer is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Based on natural products, quality control to guarantee a product of consistent taste, colour, and composition can be challenging. Amino acids analysis can be used to ensure consistency in the quality of the end-product, and also as an indicator for counterfeiting of branded products. In this article we present a rapid and reliable high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) method to determine amino acids in beer.