One of the most important aspects of reducing pesticide exposure is monitoring of pesticide residues in foods. A number of analytical methods have been developed, many of them based on traditional liquid-liquid extraction in combination with GC-MS or LC-MS. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) sample preparation methods have been developed to help monitor pesticides in a range of food samples [1]. The dispersive Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) used to clean up these extracts can leave co-extractants, which can result in interferences such as ion suppression with the analytical results.

IV bag components were analyzed for extractables using direct thermal desorption/thermal extraction combined with a unit mass resolution GC/MSD system. The results ...

In metabolomics studies, large sample sets have to be analyzed to allow statistical differentiation of sample types. Obviously, repeatability of the whole analytical workflow, including sample preparation, sample introduction, separation and detection, is hereby of the utmost importance. In this respect, automation of the sample preparation is very useful in order to reduce the analytical variability.

In metabolomics studies, large sample sets have to be analyzed to allow statistical differentiation of sample types. Obviously, repeatability of the whole analytical workflow, including sample preparation, sample introduction, separation and detection, is extremely important in order to achieve such a differentiation. Automating the sample preparation workflow is a very useful first step towards reducing analytical variability.

Liquid-liquid extractions have long been performed manually and are used to extract and concentrate analytes from aqueous matrices. Inclusion of liquid-liquid extraction ...

This application note describes the direct thermal desorption of desirable and undesirable aroma compounds from edible oils. The oil sample is placed in a microvial from where it is directly thermally desorbed using a GERSTEL Thermal Desorption Unit (TDU). Volatile compounds are transferred to the GC/MS system while leaving the non-volatile oil matrix behind in the microvial, preventing it from reaching and contaminating the GC inlet and the GC column. Different designs of microvials were evaluated for effectiveness of analyte transfer.

This note presents a fully automated analysis system for the determination of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites in blood serum. Automation is based ...

Analyzing blood serum for opioids, cocaine and metabolites is a routine task in forensic laboratories. The most commonly used methods involve several manual or ...

Pyrolysis GC-MS was used to profile residual solids after drying aged whiskey samples. The samples in question were both 20 years old from the same unaged parent distillate but matured in the very different wood species of Quercus Robur and Quercus Alba.

In order to improve pyrolysis chromatographic analysis of materials that release polar functional groups e.g. carboxylic acids, a simple and rapid methylation method based on TDU-pyrolysis/GC-MS in the presence of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) was developed. Linseed oil was selected as test material because of its high triglyceride content comprising both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Pyrolysis was performed at 500, 600 and 700 °C using a GERSTEL pyrolysis module (PYRO) with a heated platinum filament.