Feb 3 2010
AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, and its distribution partner Labindia Life Sciences, today announced that they are supplying a food-testing solution to the government of India. This is part of a project with the Ministry of Agriculture to help reinforce new food safety standards through better monitoring for contamination.
Food safety is a top priority around the world. AB SCIEX is assisting the efforts in India and many other countries to protect the food supply by enabling the accurate identification of contaminants.
This project addresses pesticide contamination of fruits and vegetables. As these contaminants can be harmful to people and livestock that consume them, India has instituted more stringent laws, including an expanded list of banned pesticides that need to be accurately identified to help reduce exposure to harmful pesticides.
The Indian government implemented a mass spectrometry solution from AB SCIEX to accurately test food for a wide range of contaminants and quickly produce reliable results. This comprehensive solution utilizes AB SCIEX mass spectrometers and specialized software that combine advanced test methods with automation to simplify the process of identifying pesticides in the food supply.
Highlights
- The solution deployed by the Indian government for this project relies on liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) technology, which enables comprehensive identification and measurement of chemicals at extremely low amounts.
- The specific technology that comprises this solution consists of six AB SCIEX 3200 QTRAP® systems. The QTRAP system is a mass spectrometer that provides the ability to uniquely perform quantitative and qualitative analysis in a single scan. The specialized software provides simple steps to manage the testing and collect the data generated from the systems.
- These systems and application software create a laboratory workflow that enables technicians to insert a sample of food into the instrument and view the results of the molecular scan automatically on a computer monitor. The results are the basis for decision-making to ensure safety and compliance with India’s new food safety standards.