In a recent webinar, Ming Gao, Ph.D., Senior Research Chemist at Mérieux NutriSciences, explored the growing challenge of cereulide contamination in food products and the analytical strategies needed to detect this heat-stable toxin at trace levels. The session examined how LC-MS/MS can help laboratories overcome the limitations of traditional microbiological screening and meet emerging regulatory requirements.
PFAS are increasingly at the center of regulatory change, scientific research, and industry discussion worldwide. As analytical capabilities improve and expectations around environmental responsibility continue to evolve, understanding the role PFAS play, and how they are being addressed, has never been more important. This blog provides an overview of what PFAS are, why they matter, and how responses from regulators and industry are changing.
Pesticides are widely used in agriculture to protect crops and maintain yield, but their presence in food must be carefully monitored. To safeguard consumers, regulatory authorities worldwide set maximum residue limits (MRLs), often at very low concentrations and across a wide range of compound classes.
Ultra‑low reporting limits, expanding target lists, and the constant risk of background contamination mean that even small missteps before injection can compromise data integrity. PFAS can be introduced at nearly every stage of prep, from sampling containers and PPE to SPE cartridges, filters, solvents, and lab consumables, making contamination control as critical as analyte recovery.
In analytical laboratories, performance is not optional. Whether supporting regulated pharmaceutical workflows, high-throughput CRO operations, clinical reporting, or food and environmental testing, your mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis systems are critical to productivity, compliance, and scientific confidence.
Naturally occurring toxins are an unavoidable reality of today’s global food supply, and among them, alkaloids represent one of the most analytically challenging and safety‑critical compound classes. Produced by plants as natural defence mechanisms, alkaloids can unintentionally enter food through contamination, co‑harvesting, or adulteration, posing serious risks to consumer health and regulatory compliance.
PFAS analysis is complex, but expert guidance doesn’t have to be. In this episode of our ‘Ask the PFAS expert series’, we’re joined by Michael Scherer, Application Lead for Food and Environmental, to answer the most pressing questions in PFAS analysis. From why LC-MS/MS systems are the gold standard for analyzing diverse PFAS compounds, to which EU methods deliver reliable results for drinking water, and to practical steps to prevent contamination, Michael shares actionable insights to help laboratories achieve accuracy, consistency, and confidence in their workflows.
In today’s environment in which labs are under pressure to reduce operating costs, many will compare the cost of a service contract between third-party providers and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). At first glance, going with a service contract from a third-party provider may seem like a smart financial move, but experience shows they can introduce risks that affect reliability and compliance.
We’re excited to launch our Ask the PFAS expert series, where we tackle some of the most pressing questions around PFAS testing, containment, and contamination control. In this first instalment, we sit down with Simon Roberts, a SCIEX application scientist, to share practical insights and expert advice.
Thanks to Starbucks, who launched the pumpkin spice latte in 2003 (yes, over 20 years ago), the spice mixture became a global phenomenon, loved and disliked at the same time.