Chemical Testing & Analysis

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has launched its new Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ MX Series ICP-MS designed for environmental, food, industrial, and research labs to simplify trace element analysis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the Mycotoxins in Domestic and Imported Human Foods Compliance Program to include T-2/HT-2 toxins and zearalenone, and to reflect the use of a new multi-mycotoxin method for analysis in human foods.

In light of a recent investigation that found nearly half of honey imported to the EU is adulterated, UK researchers have demonstrated the promise of two innovative techniques—DNA barcoding and spatial offset Raman Spectroscopy—for detecting sugar adulterants in honey.

A recent review of carcinogenicity data submitted to support U.S. FDA “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) determinations for food substances has shown that, although the types of carcinogenicity data are varied, safety is typically adequately evidenced. Still, a standardized approach defining which data is required to support a GRAS determination could be useful. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) is updating the methods it uses to analyze samples of FSIS-regulated products for certain chemical residues.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that sufficient laboratory capacity has been reached for mycotoxins testing for food imports under the Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods (LAAF) program. Owners and consignees of imported food subject to the LAAF regulation must use a LAAF-accredited laboratory to conduct mycotoxins testing beginning December 1, 2024.    

Phenomenex Inc.’s expanded “Design for PFAS” product portfolio features 15 additions to addresses a critical challenge in per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) analysis—false positives stemming from sporadic contamination and interferences.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced a new semi-quantitative analysis tool that simplifies inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), enabling the identification of unknown samples.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published testing results for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foods collected as part of its Total Diet Study (TDS), and has provided an update on the agency’s activities to better understand and address PFAS in the U.S. food supply, including an updated analytical method to measure the chemicals. 

AOAC INTERNATIONAL's metals scientific community has formed a working group to review regulations and requirements for metals content in food, and to update the AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements for metals analysis. The working group is also reviewing existing methods based on Codex Alimentarius requirements for metals analysis.