Phthalic acid diesters (PAEs), or phthalates, are widely used in industry as a plasticizer in products like toys, flooring, personal care products and food packages. Some PAEs are classified as hazardous, affecting mainly the reproductive system and possibly contributing to cancer. Though regulated, these phthalates might be present and used during production of goods. We demonstrate the possibility of using precursor ion selection and full scan MS2 spectrum, and utilize it as a fingerprint for the characterization of the different compounds/isomers with nominal m/z ratios 279 and 391.

Developing a fast and accurate screening method for detecting a wide range of toxic compounds is an important task for food safety. HR/AM spectrometry overcomes the screening limitation via selected reaction monitoring (SRM) on triple stage quadrupoles, because specific compounds need not be selected before analysis. Highly confident ID is achieved by accurate mass measurement of both precursor and fragment ions. A novel UHPLC-MS/MS method employing the Q Exactive benchtop Orbitrap mass spectrometer is proposed here for the study of possible spiked toxic agents into apple juice.

Sudan dyes are red dyes used for coloring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol, or as additives in shoe and floor polish. They have been found in a number of food products such as chili / chili-containing products. Sudan dyes are banned as food additives in the USA, the EU, and many other countries, due to their links to cancer and other negative health effects. To overcome limitations in popular offline SPE and LC-UV measurements, we describe an easy, comprehensive LC method using a Transcend TLX-1 system powered by TurboFlow technology to analyze five illegal dye residues in a variety of sauces.

Marine biotoxins are produced by naturally occurring microalgae, whose populations can increase significantly under certain environmental conditions to form a harmful algal bloom (HAB). Marine biotoxins pose a significant food safety risk when bioaccumulated in shellfish that are ingested by humans. We describe the use of the Thermo Scientific Exactive benchtop LC/MS system powered by Orbitrap technology for screening lipophilic marine biotoxins commonly found in shellfish. The method was optimized using a standard mixture of marine biotoxins, and then applied to a mussel tissue extract.

As agricultural trade grows and food safety concerns mount, stricter pesticide regulations are being enforced around the world. Increased pesticide testing and reductions in maximum permissible residue levels have driven demand for fast, sensitive and cost-effective analytical methods for high-throughput screening of multi-class pesticides in food. Detection of 510 pesticides at low ppb levels was achieved within 12 minutes using the Thermo Scientific Exactive benchtop LC/MS system powered by Orbitrap technology.