This is the second in a four-part series: Built for the Business of Science.
In Part 1 of this step-by-step series, I emphasized the need to recognize the signs of lab inefficiency when working to improve your pesticide residues analysis. In Part 2, we’ll be looking at Step 2: common pain points.
Step 2: Identify your top pain points
When you need to do more with fewer resources, interruptions and time-consuming workflow steps are the enemy. Robust instrumentation can help you alleviate pain points in your workflow to streamline operations and reduce costs, regardless of what you’re testing for.
Common pain points: Can you relate?
Most food and environmental analytical testing labs struggle with similar challenges — common obstacles that can stunt both productivity and profitability.
Pain point 1: Throughput
Food laboratories commonly analyze 250 or more pesticides in a single LC-MS analysis and often in complex matrices. The expectation is that results will comply with regulatory levels/tolerances and method performance criteria, and still be available within short turnaround times, typically 48 hours. Hence, productivity and sample throughput are a crucial requirement for a pesticide residues laboratory.
Thermo Fisher Scientific can offer proven workflow strategies to improve multiresidue analysis of pesticides in food for increased sample throughput — without compromise to chromatographic resolution. Read more in this app note: Increasing throughput of the LC-MS analysis of pesticide residues in food.
Pain point 2: Instrument downtime
Time is money in every analytical testing laboratory. Therefore, unexpected instrument downtime can be tremendously costly — in hard costs, lost efficiency and reputation.
One laboratory recently added the Thermo Scientific TSQ 9610 GC-MS/MS system to their laboratory and implemented it in their pesticide workflow. This has allowed the laboratory to increase instrument uptime thanks to the NeverVent technology and the NeverVent Advance Electron Ionization (AEI) source. This technology allows the ionization source to be cleaned, filaments to be replaced, and analytical columns to be changed without venting the instrument. Read more in this app note: TSQ 9610 GC-MS/MS delivers increased instrument uptime and productivity to analytical testing labs
For environmental samples, Thermo Fisher offers a way to perform the EPA 8270D Method with improved efficiency, less helium usage and maximum uptime. Read more in this app note: Optimized analysis of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) in environmental samples in compliance with U.S. EPA Method 8270 utilizing GC-MS.
Pain point 3: Costly sample prep and consumables
Thanks to innovations in ion chromatography (IC) instruments, automation, and column and consumable chemistry, practically any food or environmental testing workflow can be simplified, improved and optimized for ease-of-use. With the right strategies, labs can also enjoy reduced costs and more flexible methods. Read more in these two app notes:
Tapping technology to advance your ion chromatography methods
Related Information
Web page: Ion chromatography system cost savings calculator
Web page: HPLC total cost of ownership calculator
Web page: Helium saver calculator
Web page: Chromatography learning center
Blog: Improving Your Pesticide Residues Analysis: A Step-by-Step Guide
Whatever your pain point, Thermo Fisher can power your productivity. Check out this resource page for additional solutions.
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