Food and Beverage Chemical Contaminant Testing

Importance of the Topic

Ensuring the safety, authenticity, and quality of food and beverage products demands robust analytical methods to detect trace levels of chemical contaminants such as pesticides, veterinary drugs, mycotoxins, alkaloids, and PFAS. Regulatory bodies worldwide require reliable screening and quantitation to support sustainable and transparent supply chains.

Objectives and Overview

This application notebook presents validated procedures for the analysis of:

• Pesticide residues by GC-MS/MS and UPLC-MS/MS
• Veterinary drug residues by LC-MS/MS
• Mycotoxins using immunoaffinity clean-up with LC-FLD and LC-MS/MS
• Alkaloids including multi-toxin and pyrrolizidine alkaloid assays by LC-MS/MS
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by QuEChERS or alkaline extraction with SPE and LC-MS/MS

These methods are designed to help laboratories adapt to evolving regulations and improve operational efficiency.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Key features include:

• Extraction protocols such as QuEChERS, QuPPe, dilute-and-shoot, and acid digestion
• Clean-up strategies using dispersive SPE, MCX WAX or PRiME HLB cartridges, and immunoaffinity columns
• Separation by UPLC, HPLC, or GC with advanced column chemistries
• Detection by tandem quadrupole mass spectrometers and fluorescence detectors
• Automation options for standard preparation with pipetting robots and cloud-native software

Main Results and Discussion

Across diverse matrices, methods achieved sub-microgram per kilogram detection limits, recoveries between 70 and 120 percent, and repeatabilities often below ten percent RSD. Instrumental selectivity and optimized clean-up minimized matrix interferences. Single-laboratory and inter-laboratory validations confirmed robustness and fitness for purpose.

Benefits and Practical Use

Implementing these workflows reduces re-analysis and waste, streamlines multi-residue or multi-toxin screening, and allows flexible calibration approaches. High instrument uptime and expert service support ensure consistent day-to-day performance.

Future Trends and Opportunities

Developments include expanding non-target screening with high-resolution instruments, increasing automation in sample preparation, integrating data processing platforms for rapid reporting, and continuous method refinement to address new contaminants and stricter regulatory limits.

Conclusion

This collection of analytical solutions delivers comprehensive, sensitive, and robust testing methods for food and beverage contaminants, supporting laboratories in meeting current and future regulatory challenges.

Used Instrumentation

• Gas chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure ionization
• UPLC systems coupled to tandem quadrupoles
• HPLC with fluorescence detection and post-column derivatization
• Advanced column chemistries including amide HILIC and C18 phases
• QuEChERS kits, SPE cartridges, and immunoaffinity columns for sample clean-up
• Automated pipetting robots and laboratory software platforms

References

Guidelines and standards referenced include SANTE for pesticide residues, EU regulations for veterinary drugs and mycotoxins, AOAC performance criteria, and FDA methods for PFAS analysis.