WASHINGTONVILLE, N.Y. (September 8, 2015) — Aurochemicals, the manufacturer of natural aroma chemicals for the flavor and fragrance industry, has recently acquired a state-of-the-art Agilent Technologies gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS),further increasing its capabilities and accuracy in purity and impurity level monitoring and testing.
GC/MS testing is a method which combines the features of gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) to identify different substances within the same test sample. It is an extremely versatile technique and probably the most widespread of tandem or “hyphenated” technology.
“This allows us to further qualify and determine the types of impurities in natural chemicals, along with whatever we’re trying to analyze,” said Naitram Persaud, Aurochemical’s quality assurance/quality control manager. “It is the gold standard and the best tool for analysis.”
Sagar Lachmansing, Aurochemical’s vice president, quality, scientific and regulatory affairs, said the use of the new equipment is a powerful tool in food safety, quality analysis and pesticide residue analysis for all of Aurochemicals’ food and fragrance ingredients. Recent survey revelations in the food industry suggest that more American shoppers are more concerned than before about the food safety and quality today.
“It is our responsibility therefore to be nimble in our response to customers and consumers trends,” said Lachmansing.
Lachmansing said Aurochemicals’ business pursuit is focused on total customer satisfaction and one of the key elements of its objectives is to continuously and proactively deliver on food safety and quality expectations.
“It is with confidence and pride in our technological enhancements that we will continue to build trust all our customers can depend on,” he added.
This instrument supports Aurochemicals’ quality objectives in substantial ways.
“More and more most of our food ingredients will require more definitive analytical testing, including pesticide residue analysis, because of regulatory and customer requirements,” said Lachmansing. “The ingredients are natural products and by virtue of their source of origin which is plants, pesticides may be present in trace quantities. We extract and process products using innovative techniques to achieve required quality. We want to proactively test for any pesticide residue during processing and in doing so in real time with GCMS provides inherent advantages because of rapidity and conclusive results. In addition to process control testing finished product testing also provides validation as an indicator of compliance.”
Lachmansing also noted there continues to be debate about the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified (GM) products and the justification of use of herbicides and insecticides in crops.
“Our processes do not utilize GMOs but the concern of customers remain our strategic direction as we target pesticide analysis of our non-GMO ingredients,” he said.
Checking for pesticides in foodstuffs requires various levels of regulation and monitoring, Lachmansing explained. Although pesticides are traditionally quantified through gas chromatography (GC), that process can sometimes be time consuming if a number of pesticides need to be quantified concurrently. However, in a scanned GCMS approach all the compounds present in the sample are captured in the chromatographic run and the data can be searched for any specific analyte, a chemical substance that is the subject of chemical analysis. The scan mode allows for non-targeted sample profiling by providing a “fingerprint” identification for library matches of unknowns within the scan mode.
Aurochemical’s new GC/MS equipment provides positive confirmation of various pesticides in a single analytical run, making it the preferred technique for pesticide analysis because of its single-run capability.
Combined GC/MS testing allows for a much greater degree of substance identification than if either unit were used separately. It’s not possible to accurately identify a particular molecule by GC or MS alone, Lachmansing explained. The MS process normally requires a very pure sample while the GC process separates multiple molecule. The challenge for GC in the separation process is when two or more molecules co-elute.
While the chemistry may seem complicated for non-scientists, said Lachmansing, two different molecules can sometimes have similar patterns of ionized fragments in MS. Combining these two processes, however, reduces the possibility of error, because it’s extremely unlikely two different molecules will behave in the same way in both GC and MS.
“This is cutting edge and this is what our customers expect,” added Lachmansing. “We want to know as quickly as possible what the results of our chemical analyses are so we know if we have to reprocess that product or quickly reject it.” Optimized processes lead to enhancement of our same day order to ship schedules something that is at the core of our business.
That importance stems from Aurochemicals’ commitment to quality product development and customer service.
“Our investment in this equipment demonstrates our commitment to best practices in quality control and quality assurance as well as positively exceeding customer expectations,” Lachmansing said.
Moreover, the final rules for Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls (HARPC), which were expected to be released by the FDA in late August, will become effective in 60 days of the actual release date. They are expected to be implemented within one to three years, depending on the size of the company. They require that companies producing ingredients for human consumption evaluate products and their processing for various categories of food safety and quality risks including biological, chemical, physical, and radiological hazards; natural toxins, pesticides, drug residues, decomposition, parasites, allergens, and unapproved food and color additives; naturally occurring or unintentionally introduced hazards; and intentionally introduced hazards, including acts of terrorism.
A GC-MS, at this time, therefore offers great opportunity for preparation and advanced implementation of HARPC requirements Lachmansing said.
Deo Persaud, Aurochemicals CEO added: “We ship out products daily. This new equipment allows us to bring the processing of chemicals beyond the high standards we have now to a new level while continuing to have a rapid turnaround time for our customers.”
About Aurochemicals
For over 20 years, Aurochemicals has been a leader in the research, production and quality control of flavor and fragrance ingredients, pharmaceuticals and rum production. Based in Washingtonville, N.Y., Aurochemicals is a SafeQuality Food (SQF) Level 2 certified facility, benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Aurochemicals’ SQF designation is a testament to the processes it uses in developing its products and the excellent safety and quality of completed products. To learn more, visit: www.aurochemicals.com or call 845-496-6065.