Every vegetable and fruit that reaches us is grown in a disinfectant and pest controlled environment. Pesticide residue Analysis can be done using a mass spectrometer. How can you get a mass spectrometer for your lab in UAE?
The Food Safety Department in Dubai works to bring the best food experience to all by designing the best solution in procedures for controlling food markets that includes safety of imported food products, safety of food activities, investigating and researching foodborne diseases and promoting food safety awareness. The Dubai Food Safety Department collaborates with many international organizations with its commitment to food health and safety standards, and disease control and prevention. They make sure that food is free from all kinds of pesticide residues.
Most procedures for pesticide analysis involve organophosphates-chlorinated hydrocarbons. Carbamate residue is an important check as pest controllers use it as an alternative to organophosphates. Various pesticides can be known from the residues left behind. These are mostly determined by state food authorities and other regulating bodies. The procedure normally involves extraction of the pesticide from the matrix into acetonitrile, followed by solvent exchange, sample cleanup, and analysis. In general, the compounds tested for fall into the classes of organochlorines, organophosphates, organonitrogen, and carbamates. Specific detectors are used to get to low detection limits.
Electron-capture detectors are sensitive to chlorine- and fluorine-containing pesticides for organochlorines, such as DDT, Captan and Dicofol. Organophosphate and organic nitrogen, such as Malathion, Diazinon, and Simazine, are determined using nitrogen/phosphorus detectors and flame photometric detectors. Carbamates, such as Sevin and Aldicarb, are determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using post-column derivatization, since they are not stable at temperatures used in gas chromatography.
There are various methods to determine pesticide residue. Private food institutions can screen fruits and vegetables in less than 20 min while other systems can detect organophosphates, thiophosphates, and carbamates in air, water, soil, produce, food, spills, surfaces, and custom applications. Samples can be tested wet, dry, or with solvents. The Agri-Screen test uses a litmus-type ticket as its main component and is based on a fairly simple biochemical principle. One side of the ticket contains a disc which is saturated with cholinesterase—an enzyme present in most living organisms, except plants—and whose main function is to control muscle performance. If the enzyme is altered or dies, so does the organism. Pesticides can inhibit an organism’s ability to produce cholinesterase and therefore kill the organism. If enough pesticide is present in the tested sample, it will inactivate the cholinesterase that is chemically bonded to the ticket and prevent a chemical reaction which, when pesticides are absent, turns the disc blue. A white color indicates a positive result for the presence of pesticides.
SCIEX mass spectrometers are at the forefront of quantitative and qualitative analyses, and deliver unmatching reliable values with precision and accuracy. They are modern, robust and simple designs. Gaining accurate results is critical when it comes to determining the amount of pesticides involved when they reach the market. SCIEX works on an innovative QTRAP technology which allows efficient workflows, providing better identification and reliable quantitation. X500 QTOF delivers true qualitative and quantitative results in a single injection. The system can upgrade your lab by installing SWATH acquisition software. The Triple Quad mass spectrometers revolutionize quantitation with higher sensitivity, speed, and performance, from low mass to high mass compounds in positive or negative polarity. SCIEX technology optimizes tandem mass spectrometry to keep your lab running at maximum productivity.
You can order SCIEX LC-MS/MS System for checking pesticide residue from one of the most trusted Diagnostic, Life & Analytical Sciences service providers in Dubai, Emphor DLAS. You can contact Emphor for any product or service related concerns at Tel : +971 4 3392603.
