Beyond glyphosate: Trace-level analysis of highly polar pesticides in foods
Pesticides are the chemicals that help to maintain supply of many modern foods. Highly polar pesticides such as glyphosate, glufosinate, fosetyl-aluminium, bialaphos, ethephon, and phosphonic acid find widespread use, yet their detection and reliable quantitation in foods at trace levels is still a challenge for analytical science. Applying proper analytical techniques, performed with instrumentation designed specifically for ionic and highly polar chemicals, is the key.
In this SelectScience webinar, Jim Garvey, Head of Food Chemistry, and Michael Kelly, Senior Chemist, will discuss how these chemicals can be separated into their native ionic form on an ion-exchange column, and how this enables the quantification of polar pesticides by tandem mass spectrometry over and over again for hundreds of injections.
Key learning objectives:
- Explore how IC-MS/MS analysis of foods and beverages can detect trace residues of cationic and anionic polar pesticides
- Learn how to solve separation, detection, and quantitation problems for polar pesticides in alignment with the SANTE/11813/2017 guidelines
- Expand horizons in the analytical sciences
Who should attend?
- Food safety and agricultural authorities
- Import, export specialists, and food testing laboratories
- Contract testing labs
Presenter: Dr. Jim Garvey (Head of Food Chemistry, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland)
Dr. Jim Garvey graduated from The National University of Ireland (Galway) in 1988 with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. After seven years in the pharmaceutical industry as a Research Chemist, he became the process development manager in a company producing high purity solvents for GC, HPLC, and MS. He joined the Pesticide Control Laboratory in 1999 and led the laboratory through many changes -- from the introduction of mass spectrometry techniques through various phases culminating in the implementation of HRMS techniques. He led the laboratory through the 2008 dioxin crisis. Since then he has overseen many phases of laboratory development and is currently managing the introduction of HRAM technology to the residues laboratory. In October 2019, he was appointed Head of Food Chemistry at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. As well as pesticides, the Food Chemistry division covers veterinary drugs, compositional analysis of dairy products, contaminants and elemental analysis. The objective of the new division is to build a centre of excellence for food chemistry within the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine.
Presenter: Michael Kelly (Senior Chemist, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland)
Following graduation from Limerick Institute of technology in 1997 with a diploma in Chemical Instrumentation, Michael Kelly worked in Dublin, Central Laboratory (Dublin City Council) as a Laboratory Technician with a focus on water samples analysis. He was involved in the Dublin Bay Project. While employed there, he acquired a Post-Graduate Diploma in Environmental Protection from Sligo IT. In 2001, he joined the Pesticide Control Laboratory, where used GC, HPLC and MS to analyze fruit and vegetables, food of animal origin, and cereals for multi-residues. In 2016, he was appointed Senior Analyst in charge of Single Residues, difficult pesticides which require a different extraction techniques and sometime different instrumentation. In 2020, he and his team validated and accredited the analysis of anionic pesticides using IC.
Moderator: Cameron Smith (Editorial Team, SelectScience)
Cameron studied Biomedical Science at the University of the West of England, UK, specializing in medical microbiology and oncology during his final year. As a member of the Editorial team, he now plays an integral role in shaping the content on SelectScience.
