Can the design of a gas chromatograph (GC) impact the productivity of your laboratory? The answer is yes, especially when it allows you to work more efficiently. In a previous blog post, I described <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/analyteguru/how-modularity-delivers-innovation-in-the-gas-chromatography/">how modularity delivers innovation in the gas chromatography world</a>. It highlighted the benefits to laboratories of the modular concept of the Thermo Scientific TRACE 1300 Series GC.With the introduction of the new Thermo Scientific <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/483">TRACE 1600 Series GC</a>, the modular architecture continues to deliver <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAvW8SQEQ0M&amp;pp=ygUKVFJBQ0UgMTYwMA%3D%3D">cost- and time-savings opportunities</a> to users, thanks to a comprehensive choice of self-installable iConnect injector and detector modules. Each module is identified by a serial number for easy tracking in the laboratory and can be qualified as a separate item, so it can be safely interchanged on a GC instrument maintaining compliance with internal quality protocols.An enlightening infographic is available for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://go.labx.com/4-routes-to-gc-lab-efficiency">downloading</a>, illustrating the four ways to increase laboratory efficiency through the modular concept of the TRACE 1600 Series GC. Don’t miss it.<h3>1. Swap downtime for runtime</h3>High-throughput testing laboratories as well as QA/QC labs need to deliver quality results on time.&nbsp; In a situation where a laboratory needs to quickly solve a contamination issue, for example, or needs to quickly recover a correct instrument behavior, the module replacement allows you to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/CMD/brochures/sp-74147-gc-modularity-TRACE1600-sp74147-en.pdf">restore running conditions in less than 30 minutes</a>, including cooling and powering down the instrument, disconnecting the column from the original injector module, removing the module, and plugging in the new one, re-connecting the column, and powering up the GC again. The same operation on a conventional GC design would require a service call and a day of instrument downtime. In a situation where the laboratory has a spare module available, no troubleshooting actions are needed and no service call, reducing instrument downtime to half an hour —all with the limited investment of a spare module.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Scientific_4_Ways_to_Increase_Your_GC_Lab_s_Efficiency_2_ec40ea6c18.jpg" alt="Thermo Scientific: 4 Ways to Increase Your GC Lab’s Efficiency" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Scientific_4_Ways_to_Increase_Your_GC_Lab_s_Efficiency_2_ec40ea6c18.jpg 234w," sizes="100vw" width="719" height="479"><h3>2. Optimize running costs</h3>A way to increase your laboratory’s efficiency is to make better use of the available resources and optimize running costs by reducing underutilized instrumentation in the lab. The modular concept of unlimited GC configurations and the ability to share modules on any Thermo Scientific TRACE 1300 and 1600 Series GC, multiplies the analytical possibilities. With the increased flexibility gained from modular capabilities, an instrument no longer needs to remain idle because it’s not configured to run particular sample types. More efficient use of your GC instruments optimizes costs and accelerates the return on investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Scientific_4_Ways_to_Increase_Your_GC_Lab_s_Efficiency_3_9934c72df9.jpg" alt="Thermo Scientific: 4 Ways to Increase Your GC Lab’s Efficiency." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Scientific_4_Ways_to_Increase_Your_GC_Lab_s_Efficiency_3_9934c72df9.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="617" height="617"><h3>3. Maximize your investment</h3>Start-up, non-routine laboratories may initially face limited budgets, so investments need to be prioritized. Short-terms requirements are clear but future requirements remain uncertain; the same GC may be required for different applications. So which configuration should be considered to balance the initial investment with growing analytical requirements?With conventional GC, saving money today may mean higher costs in the future.&nbsp; Through modularity, you can invest based on current requirements and benefit from additional modules when they are necessary, with no additional fees. &nbsp;Modularity opens up to high flexibility to quickly adapt the GC system to current and future needs and easily address evolving priorities.<h3>4. Free up bench space</h3>With a width of only 44 cm (17.3 inch), the compact size of the TRACE 1600 series GC allows your lab to optimize valuable bench space, allowing you to position more instruments in a limited space. Additionally, having the capability to quickly install and uninstall injectors and detectors and having spare iConnect modules on hand for fast replacement, eliminates the need for maintaining a duplicate GC back-up instrument, removing associated cost of operation and further optimizing valuable bench space.The modular design of your next GC system will revolutionize the way you work in your laboratory.<blockquote><section>Dr. Daniela CavagninoDr. Daniela Cavagnino is global Product Marketing Manager for GC and Autosampler/front-end solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific. She received her Master's Degree in Chemistry at the University of Milan, Italy. She started her career in gas chromatography spending several years in R&amp;D laboratories working on GC technology innovation. She then conveyed her technical background into product management and marketing management roles with more than 20 years' experience in promoting GC/GC-MS technology and applications in several different market segments. During her career, she has participated as author and co-author in technical publications and actively operated as lecturer at international conferences.</section></blockquote>

4 Ways to Increase Your GC Lab’s Efficiency

Hexane is one of the most widely used extraction solvents in the global food system. Derived from petroleum, it plays a central role in efficiently extracting vegetable oils from crops such as soy, sunflower, rapeseed, and corn. The same process produces protein-rich oilseed meals that are widely used in animal feed. From a technological perspective, hexane is effective, inexpensive, and well understood. From a toxicological and regulatory perspective, however, it is increasingly under scrutiny.In the European Union, “technical hexane” is authorized as a food extraction solvent under Directive 2009/32/EC. Its last full safety assessment by the EU’s Scientific Committee on Food dates back to 1996. In 2024, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/sp.efsa.2024.EN-9001">European Food Safety Authority</a> (EFSA) concluded that this assessment is no longer sufficient and formally called for a re-evaluation. The reasons are scientific rather than sensational: technical hexane is not a single pure compound, its impurities are poorly specified, human absorption of n-hexane is well documented, and exposure—particularly for infants and young children—may have been underestimated under current regulatory assumptions.At the same time, public attention has intensified. Investigations commissioned by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.greenpeace.fr/scandale-sanitaire-lhexane-un-solvant-toxique-dans-vos-assiettes/">Greenpeace</a> reported detectable hexane residues in a wide range of everyday foods, including vegetable oils, butter, milk, infant formula, and poultry. While the measured levels generally fall within current legal limits, these <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theexamination.org/articles/processing-agent-hexane-found-in-everyday-foods-renewing-concerns-about-toxic-chemical">findings</a> highlight a critical gap between regulatory compliance and public expectations of food safety and transparency. Processing aids like hexane are not listed on labels, even though trace residues may remain in final products.From a scientific standpoint, the debate raises several important questions. How robust are existing toxicological datasets for chronic, low-level exposure? Do current analytical methods sufficiently characterize impurities and residues across complex food matrices? And should efficiency-driven processing choices be reconsidered when safer—though potentially less economical—alternatives exist?EFSA’s conclusion is cautious but clear: there is no immediate acute health concern, but the available evidence is insufficient to confidently assess long-term risks. As new toxicological data emerge and analytical capabilities improve, hexane has become a case study in how legacy food technologies can outpace the science and regulation designed to govern them. The outcome of the ongoing re-evaluation may shape not only future solvent use, but also broader expectations around transparency, precaution, and trust in the food system.<h3>Global inconsistencies in safety standards</h3>Hexane regulation varies widely across jurisdictions. European limits are among the most conservative, yet they rely heavily on industry-generated data. In other regions, allowable residue levels are significantly higher, and in some cases, hexane use in food and feed is largely unrestricted. This variability complicates global risk assessment and raises questions about harmonization and scientific consistency in food safety governance.<h3>Beyond compliance: Rethinking food processing choices</h3>The ongoing re-evaluation of hexane illustrates a broader challenge in food science: technologies adopted for efficiency and cost-effectiveness may persist long after their safety assumptions become outdated. The issue is not whether hexane poses an immediate public health crisis—EFSA has explicitly stated that it does not—but whether current scientific evidence is sufficient to justify its continued widespread use without further scrutiny.Advances in analytical chemistry now allow more sensitive detection of residues and impurities, while modern toxicology places greater emphasis on long-term, low-dose effects. At the same time, alternative extraction technologies, though less efficient, are becoming more viable as sustainability and safety considerations gain weight.<h3>What are the best methods for detection?</h3>Detection options<ul><li>HS-GC-FID: robust, sensitive for hydrocarbons, widely used for routine control (often aligned with “official” oil methods such as AOCS workflows referenced in the literature).</li><li>HS-GC-MS: adds spectral ID confirmation (useful when there are interferences or you want stronger identity evidence).</li></ul>Quantification<ul><li>Prefer internal standard calibration (often a similar volatile hydrocarbon not expected in the sample) and matrix-matched calibration where feasible.</li></ul><h3>Conclusions</h3>EFSA concluded that there is a need to re-evaluate the safety of technical hexane used as an extraction solvent in the production of foodstuffs and food ingredients. A key aspect of this re-evaluation concerns the accurate characterization and quantification of hexane residues and related hydrocarbons, where <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products?category=1&amp;manufacturerItems=3">gas chromatography (GC)</a> plays a central role. Robust GC-based analytical methods are essential to reliably determine residual solvent levels, distinguish between different hexane isomers and impurities, and ensure compliance with regulatory limits.Advances in GC methodology, including improved separation, sensitivity, and detection capabilities, can significantly reduce analytical uncertainty and support more precise exposure assessments. High-quality GC data are therefore critical for refining dietary exposure estimates, identifying potential sources of variability, and supporting a science-based risk assessment. Strengthening analytical controls through validated GC methods will be an important component of addressing EFSA’s safety concerns and ensuring continued consumer protection.Visit us on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/72003132/admin/dashboard/">LinkedIn:</a>&nbsp;#hexaneSafety, #GC-FID #GC-MS<section><blockquote><h5>Petra Gerhards</h5>Petra Gerhards, Dipl-Ing, is Regional Marketing Manager of GC and GC-MS for EMEA at Thermo Fisher Scientific. She has more than 29 years of experience in the fields of GC-MS, SPE and LC-MS. Since joining the regional team she has contributed to workflow solutions combining vials and closures with SPE solutions, GC-MS and LC-MS. She works with KOL's on data for regional specific marketing campaigns, organizes in-house seminars and works on customer specific solutions. Her main expertise is in the field of doping and drugs-of-abuse analysis.</blockquote></section>

Hexane in Food: When Processing Chemistry Meets Public Health

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