The Column-11-06-2014

There are over 100 different types of vanilla, all characterized by different aroma profiles. To determine vanilla origin, and for quality control purposes, laboratories typically rely on headspace or thermal desorption techniques used in combination with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). This article explains more.

Pesticides can be very effective at protecting food crops; however, there are food safety concerns over the levels of pesticide residues found in foods for human consumption. This article discusses the advantages and limitations of mass spectrometry (MS) applied to the detection of pesticide residues in food.

A new study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry by scientists from the University of California Davis, the National Marine Mammal Foundation, and the Chicago Zoological Society in the USA presents a novel breath analysis method for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that could be used to monitor and assess the health of wild marine mammal populations.

A team of researchers at the University of Huddersfield, UK, has investigated the potential of okra for emulsification of certain food products using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.1 Okra is a flowering plant and originates from Africa. Okra pectins are acidic, random coil polysaccharides composed of galactose, rhamnose, and galacturonic acid. Pectins are used in the food industry for their gelling, stabilizing, and thickening properties. Okra pectins differ quite substantially from those extracted from apple, citrus, and beet in terms of protein and acetyl contents, indicating their greater hydrophobicity and suggesting that pectin derived from okra can be used as an effective emulsifying agent.?

Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany, have developed a high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS–MS) method to determine the internal concentrations of 34 test compounds in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos.

A brief overview of the advantages of core–shell technology for liquid chromatography (LC) separations with practical advice for chromatographers focused on developing or improving food testing methods is presented.

Dr Kevin Cooper of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, spoke to Kate Mosford of The Column about the importance of accuracy, reliability, and stability in food safety analysis and the role of ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS–MS) in his research.

Click the title above to open The Column November 06, 2014 North American issue, Volume 10, Number 20, in an interactive PDF format.

Click the title above to open The Column November 06, 2014 Europe & Asia issue, Volume 10, Number 20, in an interactive PDF format.