Food & Food Safety Analysis

Food & Food Safety

Food and feed analysis is a highly challenging task due to the different chemical nature and high number of analytes in complex samples. Food safety analysis follows strict governmental regulations for the control of maximum residue limits globally.

The PAL System as the industry standard front-end for GC/MS and LC/MS offers proven automated sample prep solutions. The PAL workflows for food and feed analysis follow the internationally published standard methods, often micromethods are applied for a safer green analytical chemistry.

Within the long list of monitored contaminants are pesticides using the QuECHERS extraction and micro-SPE (uSPE) cleanup for a wide range of food commodities. Also, the automated uSPE cleanup is applied for the analysis of veterinary drugs, residues of antibiotics and hormones. Highly polar pesticides like glyphosate and AMPA are analyzed using online-SPE technique on the PAL System.

For the analysis of volatile compounds like solvents or flavor compounds the PAL System offers tools for static and dynamic headspace analysis (ITEX DHS).

Solid Phase Microextraction technique (SPME ) with SPME Fibers or the rugged SPME Arrow are used for all areas in the food industry and quality control such as beverages, meat, oils, vegetables, wine, and food contact materials.

The PAL System provides fully automated sample preparation methods for the monitoring of processing contaminations in the vegetable oil industry, analysis for adulteration by blending, or the transfer of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH, MOAH).

Other important applications include the characterization of fat content, composition, nutritional value, or cis/trans-isomerism. The PAL System offers automated extraction, saponification, derivatization and online GC injection in 24/7 operation.

The steadily growing demand for food and feed analysis calls for the PAL System to provide automated solutions for high sample throughput, reproducible and error free sample preparation.

Workflow Solutions

Discover our and our partners ready-to-go workflows.

Cholesterol

Complete workstation for the determination the egg content in food.

FAMEs

Fully automated determination of fatty acid methyl estes in oils and fats.

Palm fruits and a jar of palm oil on a wooden surface, illustrating quality control and MDPD analysis in edible oils.

MCPD

Workstation for the fully automated determination of MCPD and glycidol in food

MOSH / MOAH

Complete workstation for the determination of mineral oil contaminants in food, feed, packaging and cosmetics.

Illustration showing the chemical structure of glyphosate with a bee on a flower, representing analyzing of glyphosate and its impact.

Glyophosate

Complete workstation for the determination of glyphosate in food.

PFAS in Drinking Water

Online SPE-LC-MS/MS Prep Solution for simple sample handling, very low solvent consumpation, and good accuracy and reproducibility.

Grilled sausages and vegetables on a barbecue, illustrating PAHs analysing in food stuff to assess contamination from grilling.

PAHs in foodstuff

Time saving and highly sensitive determination of PAHs

Scientist working with blue test tubes in a laboratory, illustrating the fully automatic production of calibration standards and reference mixes for regular in-house use

MultiMix

Fully automated production of standards and mixes.

Selective Ultra-Trace-Headspace Analysis

Ultra-sensitive and selective Headspace Analysis of Volatiles using ITEX - FLAVOURSPEC®

Combining this unique set-up with distinguished enrichment properties of thermal desorption by ITEX (In-tube Extraction) DHS (Dynamic Headspace) lead to a benchmark in the field of trace analysis where very lowest (sub ppb) detection limits and enhanced separation characteristics are required.

Sterols

Fully automted determination of sterols for food control

Gloved hand holding a test tube near apples and lab equipment, illustrating QuEChERS sample preparation in food testing.

µSPE Clean-Up of QuEChERS extracts

The µSPE clean-up of QuEChERS extracts for the analysis of pesticides and environmental contaminations is one example of how robotic instruments can alleviate the demands of sample processing faced by researchers.

High-Throughput Mega-Method for the Analysis of Pesticides, Veterinary Drugs, and Environmental Contaminants by UHPLCMS/ MS and Robotic Mini-SPE Cleanup + LPGC-MS/MS, Part 1: Beef
Keywords: pesticides, veterinary drugs, environmental contaminanst, QuEChERS, GC-MS, LC-MS, beef
J. Agric. Food Chem. (2020)
Quantification of allergenic plant traces in baked products by targeted proteomics using isotope marked peptides
Keywords: Allergenic food, plant allergen (soy, sesame, lupine), LC-MS/MS, quantification of allergenic plant traces, food labeling
Food Sci. Technol. (2016), 74, 286-93
Automated Mini-Column Solid-Phase Extraction Cleanup for High-Throughput Analysis of Chemical Contaminants in Foods by Low-Pressure Gas Chromatography—Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Keywords: High-throughput automation, solid-phase extraction, cleanup, pesticide residue analysis, QuEChERS sample preparation, fast GC-MS/MS, analyte protectants, environmental contaminants, foods
Chromatographia (2016) DOI:10.1007/s10337-016-3116-yDetermination of sulfur and nitrogen compounds during the processing of dry fermented sausages and their relation to amino acid generation
Keywords: Sulfur, nitrogen, volatile compound, amino acid, odor-active compound, sausage, solvent assisted flavor evaporation
Food Chem, 190 (2016) 657-664
Development of an Automated Column Solid-Phase Extraction Cleanup of QuEChERS Extracts, Using a Zirconia-Based Sorbent, for Pesticide Residue Analyses by LC-MS/MS.
Keywords: QuEChERS, micro SPE, LC-MS/MS, ITSP, µSPE, Z-Sep, zirconia, pesticide, multiresidue, avocado, citrus
J Agric Food Chem, 2015, 63(21) 5107-19
Universal Route to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Analysis in Foodstuff: Two-Dimensional Heart-Cut Liquid Chromatography−Gas Chromatography−Mass Spectrometry
Keywords: PAHs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 2D LCxGC-MS, food
Anal Chem 2015 87(12):6195-203
Determination of Wine Aroma Compounds by Head Space “In tube extraction” Technique and Gas Chromatography (HS-ITEX-GC/MS)
Keywords: White wine, aroma compounds, vintage influence, ITEX, GC/MS
Bulletin UASVM Food Science and Technology 72(1) / 2015 (OPEN ACCESS)Enantiodifferentiation of 3-sec-butyl-2-methoxypyrazine in different species using multidimensional and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatographic approaches.
Keywords: 3-sec-Butyl-2-methoxypyrazine, heart-cutmultidimensional gas chromatography, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography, mass spectrometric detection, enantiodifferentiation
Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2015, 407, 253-63
In-Tube Extraction-GC/MS as High Capacity Enrichment Technique for the Analysis of Alcoholic Beverages.
Keywords: ITEX, microextraction, GC/MS, volatile constituents, beer varieties
J. Agric. Food Chem. 2014, 62 (14), 3081–3091
Chemometric Discrimination of Different Tomato Cultivars Based on Their Volatile Fingerprint in Relation to Lycopene and Total Phenolics Content
Keywords: Anti-oxidant capacity, in-tube extraction ITEX, PCA, phenolic compounds, tomatoes, volatiles
Phytochem. Anal. 2014, 25 (2), 161-9
Unravelling ionization and fragmentation pathways of carotenoids using orbitrap technology: a first step towards identification of unknowns
Keywords: carotenoids, orbitrap, ionization, fragmentation, identification
J. Mass Spectrom. 2013, 48, 740-754
In-tube Extraction and GC-MS Analysis of Volatiile Components from Wild and Cultivated sea buchthorn (Hippohae rhamnoides L. ssp. Carpatica) Berry Varieties and Juice
Keywords: GC-MS, in-tube extraction ITEX, principal component analysis, volatiles, sea buckthorn fruit
Phytochem. Anal. 2013, 24, 319-328
Caffeine in Your Drink: Natural or Synthetic?
Keywords: compound-specific isotope Analysis (CSIA), high-temperature reversed-phase liquid chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry, HT-RPLC/IRMS
Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 2805−2810
Automated and quantitative headspace in-tube extraction for the accurate determination of highly volatile compounds from wines and beers
Keywords: ITEX, GC, wine, beer
J. Chromatography A, 1230 (2012) 1– 7
Characterization of Novel Varietal Floral Hop Aromas by Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography−Mass Spectrometry/Olfactometry
Keywords: SPME, GC-MS
J Agric Food Chem. 2012; 60: 12270−12281
Aroma chemical composition of red wines from different price categories and its relationship to quality.
Keywords: wine aroma compounds, odorant composition, GC/MS
J Agric Food Chem. 2012; 60:5045-56
Rapid enrichment of bioactive milk proteins and iterative, consolidated protein identification by multidimensional protein identification technology
Proteomics 2005, 5, 3836–3846

Related Content

Automated SPME-SICRIT-MS for Rapid Screening of Contaminants in Food and Environmental Matrices

Application Notes

Automated SPME-SICRIT-MS for Rapid Screening of Contaminants in Food and Environmental Matrices

Ambient mass spectrometry offers a path to rapid, direct analysis with minimal sample preparation. This note describes a high-throughput workflow for the analysis of both polar and non-polar analytes by coupling automated Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) with soft ionization by chemical reaction in transfer (SICRIT), a variant of dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI).
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PFAS in Cosmetics -A Comparative Analysis of Sample Preparation Techniques for PFAS Analysis

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PFAS in Cosmetics -A Comparative Analysis of Sample Preparation Techniques for PFAS Analysis

This application note explores a comparative study that tackles this challenge head-on by evaluating two powerful sample preparation techniques: Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and Micro Solid Phase Extraction (µSPE) for analyzing eight key PFAS in mascara by Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS). The investigation revealed that the two methods offer complementary strengths. SPME proved more sensitive for water-soluble PFAS and offered a simpler, filtration-free workflow. In contrast, automated µSPE excelled for oil-soluble PFAS but required a sample filtration step.

ASMS 2025 - Fully Automated Sensitive Quantitation of PFAS in Seafood for Regulatory Screening Using Triple Quadrupole LC/MS

Posters

ASMS 2025 - Fully Automated Sensitive Quantitation of PFAS in Seafood for Regulatory Screening Using Triple Quadrupole LC/MS

Detecting trace PFAS level is challenging due to complex sample preparation like QuEChERS extraction followed by SPE cleanup, and evaporation/reconstitution. The manual steps can be labor-intensive and error-prone, affecting accuracy and reliability. This study developed a fully automated workflow for PFAS quantitation in seafood – shrimp.

ASMS 2025 - Fully Automated Workflow for Volatile PFAS Analysis in Food Contact Materials Using GC-Triple Quadrupole

Posters

ASMS 2025 - Fully Automated Workflow for Volatile PFAS Analysis in Food Contact Materials Using GC-Triple Quadrupole

Gas Chromatography coupled with Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (GC/TQ) offers a robust and sensitive method for
detecting volatile PFAS. However, manual sample preparation could pose a bottleneck, impacting lab productivity. This study presents a robust and fully automated method using the PAL3 platform with GC/TQ for quantifying more than 30 volatile PFAS in FCMs, such as paper coffee cups. The automation approach minimizes human error, improving reliability
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Micromethods - Automated µSPE Cleanup for High-Throughput QuEChERS Analysis

Webinars

Micromethods - Automated µSPE Cleanup for High-Throughput QuEChERS Analysis

If you're looking for ways to improve your analysis of complex matrices or trace contaminants, these expert-led sessions are for you

Tired of manual uSPE? See how a fully automated, miniaturized µSPE workflow provides a superior cleanup for tough matrices like fats, oils, and spices, helping you reduce instrument maintenance and improve reproducibility.

Webinars

Analysis of flavors, pesticides, and biomarkers directly from complex food matrix using the automated Vacuum In-Tube Extraction (V-ITEX)

Extraction of volatile compounds is a widely used approach for analysis of foods and beverages. By the nature of gas phase sampling, the limiting factor for polar analytes are given by low vapor pressure or higher boiling points of semi-volatile compounds. These limitations can be overcome by sampling at decreased pressure levels using vacuum conditions. This has been shown in several publications using vacuum sampling techniques. In this study, a fully automated approach of Vacuum In-Tube Extraction (V-ITEX) is presented, a simple and fully automated technique using PAL system autosamplers. The application examples include flavors, fragrances, off-flavors, pesticides and biomarkers by extractions directly from the food sample matrix, such as Honey, Bee Wax, Cheese, Onions, Blood and Urine.

Presented by:

Pascal Fuchsmann, Head of Flavor Analytics Agroscope

Stefan Cretnik, Product Manager CTC Analytics AG

The Power of Micro Solid Phase Extraction

eBooks

The Power of Micro Solid Phase Extraction

This eBook explores the potential of uSPE to transform analytical workflows. It highlights the key benefits of uSPE, compares it with traditional techniques and examines its application across various industries. This resource provides a comprehensive guide for scientists and lab managers looking to optimize their sample preparation processes, achieve higher precision and embrace sustainable practices in analytical chemistry.