http://www.foodquality.com Laboratory Topic Rss http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/1395225/The_Lab_Revolution.html <p>Now, more than ever, food manufacturers are looking to lab science for safe and speedy answers, especially when it comes to allergens. Food allergies are a public health liability that affects both business and the consumer. More than 12 million Americans have food allergies, and many more are underdiagnosed or ignored.</p> 2011-11-15T18:17:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/1066951/The_Power_of_Phages.html <p>The nature of food and foodborne illness has changed dramatically in the United States over the past century. While various technological advances such as pasteurization and proper canning have all but eliminated some diseases, new causes of foodborne illness are continually being identified.</p> 2011-05-17T17:15:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/1040421/Here_Now_and_Soon_to_Be_A_Suite_of_Food_Lab_Innovations.html <p>It&rsquo;s often said that the future is now, which may explain why so many people are unprepared for it.</p> 2011-03-22T14:46:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/1023779/Advances_in_LCMS_for_Food_Safety_Testing.html <p>In recent years, the utilization of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) has grown rapidly and is now widely recognized as an ideal, highly specific, and extremely sensitive technique for testing food products with superior accuracy and higher throughput than other methods such as LC/ultraviolet, LC/fluorescence, or microbiological and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods.</p> 2011-02-24T16:27:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/972717/Quadrupole_GC-MS_System_for_Pesticide_Analysis_in_Tea.html <p>Pesticides are intended for use on food crops to prevent, destroy, and control pests, which can be chemical, biological (such as a virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, or disinfectant. As a result, pesticide residues can be found in agricultural products like tea leaves and, due to their potential toxicity, can be harmful to human health. Pesticide consumption can cause a wide range of long-term health problems, including damage to the nervous and reproductive systems, birth defects, and, in some cases, cancer. Short-term health effects include dizziness, headaches, fatigue, memory impairment, visual disorders, and vomiting, as well as skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritation.</p> 2010-12-30T17:04:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/972667/Heavy_Metals_in_Seafood.html <p>European Union (EU) researchers conducting an experiment in which 57 laboratories from 29 countries volunteered to test for the presence of heavy metals in seafood found that most of the labs came up with similar results, thus underscoring the efficacy of the tests.</p> 2010-12-30T16:19:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/972661/Chemist_Tests_Pomegranate_Juice_Authenticity.html <p>You pick up a bottle of pomegranate juice at the store because you&rsquo;ve learned that, although it costs more than most juices, it is replete with antioxidants that bring health benefits. But wait: Is the juice you&rsquo;ve purchased really pomegranate juice? Or is the product label you have carefully read promising more than it delivers?</p> 2010-12-30T16:09:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/882865/Testing_Olive_Oil_Authenticity.html <p>Notice was given in the April 28, 2010, Federal Register that on October 25, 2010, revised U.S. standards for grades of olive oil and olive-pomace oil will become effective, replacing the first edition of the U.S. grade standards, which have been in force since March 22, 1948.</p> 2010-11-30T06:11:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/882853/Seven_Keys_to_an_Effective_Contract_Lab.html <p>Selecting a third party analytical laboratory is difficult. The stakes are high when you rely on a third party for analytical results. Accordingly, this choice should be heavily supported by your organization. There are seven key factors to consider when selecting the appropriate third-party laboratory&hellip;</p> 2010-11-30T06:07:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/842341/Detecting_Polycylic_Aromatic_Hydrocarbons_in_Food.html <p>The Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the largest in U.S. history, has raised awareness of a food safety issue, namely contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In the future, analytical testing for PAHs in fish, crustaceans, and bivalves will undoubtedly become a routine procedure for many laboratories. PAH exposure, through either environmental pollution or contaminated foodstuffs, and its effects on human health have been the topic of many scientific studies. The recent oil spill again focuses attention on this toxic class of compounds.</p> 2010-09-10T00:14:00Z