LC-MS User Meeting 2020 - Environmental & Food Safety - English Session

In food and environmental analysis, the availability of sensitive, fast and reliable methods is a key requirement. Accordingly, mass spectrometry has become a widely adopted technology. Still, the number and range of compounds to be analyzed has risen steadily in the course of the years and the required limits of detection are lowered regularly by the responsible authorities, increasing the demand for technology that is even more sensitive, but also robust and easy to use in order to provide analytical results in a fast and cost efficient manner.

In the session for environmental and food safety analysis we present solutions for a wide variety of applications, as there is the analysis of very polar compounds or perflourinated surfactants and flame retardants. Also, the demands of the new water framework directive and how the new minimum residue levels can be reached are discussed. The use of different chromatographic technologies and the benefits of high-resolution mass spectrometry are discussed from the perspective of routine and research users, accompanied by additional insights given by our experts.

11:00 BST (12:00 CEST - Prague) | The First Global Reconnaissance of Organic Pollutants in Tap Water

• Speaker: Neville Llewellyn, Sales Support, Environmental, Food Safety, Industrial, EMEA, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

11:30 BST (12:30 CEST - Prague) | CIP3/PFAS/Screening in Env Samples

• Speaker: John Quick, Technical Expert, ALS Environmental Services - Coventry, UK

12:00 BST (13:00 CEST - Prague) | Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances – The latest “Forever Chemicals”

• Speaker: Joanne Roberts, Research Fellow, Glasgow Caledonian University - Glasgow, UK

12:30 BST (13:30 CEST - Prague) | Use of Orbitrap Technology in the beverage industry to maintain product excellence

• Speaker: Paddy Feeney, Laboratory Analyst, Coca Cola Ballina Beverages - Mayo, Ireland

13:00 BST (14:00 CEST - Prague) | Isotope analysis: how it is applied for food and beverage analysis and future consideration

• Speakers: Luana Bontempo, Treaceabilty Unit Lead, Fondazione Edmund Mach - San Michele all'Adige, Italy

Presenter: Neville Llewellyn (Sales Support, Environmental, Food Safety, Industrial, EMEA, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Neville Llewellyn obtained his PhD in Environmental Science from Middlesex University, investigating the transport of pesticides in urban and agricultural rainfall-runoff events. He then moved to Cork Institute of Technology, and funded by the Irish EPA, set up the first study of the occurrence of endocrine disrupting chemicals in Irish surface waters. Returning to the UK, he worked for NERC’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, involved in the fate and behaviour of micro-organic pollutants in rivers and wastewater treatment systems. In 2014 he joined ThermoFisherScientific and now works as an LCMSMS Applications Scientist within the Environmental, Food Safety and Industry EMAE Sales Support Team.

Presenter: John Quick (Technical Expert, ALS Environmental Services - Coventry, UK)

John is the principal scientist at ALS Environmental in Coventry. John’s background is in chromatography and over the last years John and his team has developed methods to analyse all the compounds included in the CIP program (A UK version of the Water Framework Directive) with detection levels not seen by any other commercial laboratory in the past. Questions concerning organic compounds and testing using chromatographic methods can be directed to John

Presenter: Joanne Roberts (Research Fellow, Glasgow Caledonian University - Glasgow, UK)

Joanne Roberts is a Research Fellow responsible for LCMS/MS analysis using the Thermo Q-Exactive Mass Spectrometry system.

Employed at GCU to develop sample preparation, liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry methods for the EU, INTERREG “PILLS” project to determine pharmaceuticals in hospital waste water. This has been extended to the EU, INTERREG “noPILLS” project determining pharmaceuticals in waste water and river water. Other collaborative work with colleagues at GCU has included analysis of aflatoxins, flavonoids and bile acids by LCMS/MS and external collaborations with Bristol University and Abertay University.

Educated to MSc level and studying for a part time PhD titled “Determination and identification of drug and chemical metabolites in waste water by LCMS/MS”. Before starting work with GCU Joanne worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years gaining experience in organic synthesis, process chemistry, analytical chemistry and bio-analytical chemistry. During her time in bio-analytical chemistry much experience was gained analysing neuro-transmitters and other biomarkers in the brain.

Presenter: Paddy Feeney (Laboratory Analyst, Coca Cola Ballina Beverages - Mayo, Ireland)

Completed my BSc in Chemistry from University College Cork and continued my studies with a MSc in Analytical/Atmospheric Chemistry with the Centre of Research into Atmospheric Chemistry, a centre of excellence for air quality campaigns throughout Ireland. I characterised and measured the real time release of Primary Biological Aerosol Particles for my thesis.

I started working with High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (Orbitraps) in Loyola University Chicago studying a Proteomics application for a research lab in the department of Cell and Molecular Physiology. This was ground-breaking research into the physiological effects of Post-Translational Modifications on the proteome.

I continued working in the field of HRMS (Orbitaps) with Coca-Cola, developing an application to ensure product quality and excellence.

Presenter: Luana Bontempo (Treaceabilty Unit Lead, Fondazione Edmund Mach - San Michele all'Adige, Italy)

Luana graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at the University of Padua (2001), subsequently she got a post-graduated specialization degree in Chemical Methodologies for Survey and Analysis at the University of Padua(2004) and a PhD in Food Sciences at the University of Udine (2011). Since 2001 she has been working as a researcher at the Agricultural Institute of San Michele all’Adige, now Edmund Mach Foundation taking part in several research investigations on different food matrices (cheese, honey, olive oil, meat, tomato, …).