Category Archives: clean-up

clean-up, freestyle, GPC, immunoaffinity cleanup, lctech, mycotoxin, spe

Freestyle Automated Sample Prep Instrument

The new FREESTYLE system is the most adaptable robotic equipment for sample preparation currently available on the market. With its nearly universally applicable system range, numerous processing steps can be elegantly automated. The FREESTYLE system takes on daily routine tasks in the laboratory, but also offers the user the unique opportunity to combine specific working steps that were previously carried out individually.

FREESTYLE SPE Module: The FREESTYLE SPE system is suitable for the fully automated processing of the most diverse column formats. The technology is unique:

    • One rack for different SPE columns: Different columns can be combined in any fashion. Adaptation is achieved through choosing the respective adapter. Different adapters are available for different sized columns.
    • Handling of both open as well as closed (e.g. IAC) columns is possible
    • Sample processing directly on the robotic arm under positive or negative pressure
    • Simple method set-up through pre-determined single steps, which can be arbitrarily combined and parametrized individually:
      • Conditioning
      • Emptying (e.g. let buffer drain off from immunoaffinity columns)
      • Loading: a variety of options for loading the sample onto the column
      • Washing
      • Drying the SPE cartridge with ambient air or nitrogen stream
      • Elution with various solvents, with multiple repetitions, and into different containers
    • Any combination of methods and/or columns within a sample list is possible
    • Various – almost unlimited – possibilities of using different containers for any type of sample or for filling of the eluate

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FREESTYLE EVAporation Module:
The FREESTYLE EVAporation system is suitable for the fully automated evaporation of many samples – if you wish overnight or over the weekend. The novel FREESTYLE technology:

    • allows for free end-volume selection of between 0.2 mL and 5.0 mL (automatic calibration),
    • individually for each sample,
    • combines the rotary evaporator technology (vacuum) with gentle blowing off with nitrogen (optional),
    • allows an automated solvent exchange liquid/liquid or to dryness (optional),
    • results in a concentrate, precisely bottled or dispensed in aliquots in free-selected glasses (e.g. closed GC vials).

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FREESTYLE GPC Module: The FREESTYLE GPC module facilitates the upgrade to a fully automated chromatographic sample preparation system (gel permeation chromatography), as is used for example for clean-up of food, animal feed and environmental samples. It complies in all areas with the requirements of general methods, e.g. DFG S19, EPA 3640A, AOAC 984.21, EN 1528 and more. The module consists of a preparative LC-double piston pump with all its advantages e.g. minimizing pulsation. With a flow rate of say 5 mL/min, the preparative pump incurs only a small load and is consequently particularly low maintenance.

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Be sure to visit www.freestyle-robotic.com for more details, configurator, and applications

aflatoxin, Amino Acid Analysis, AOAC, clean-up, deoxynivalenol, freestyle, HPLC, immunoaffinity cleanup, mycotoxin, ochratoxin

AOAC International Meeting

fountainThe AOAC International held their annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois from August 25-27, 2013.

Pickering Laboratories were on hand to share our latest methods and instruments.  We also gave an Exhibitor Presentation titled “An Automated Highly Sensitive Method for Aflatoxin B/G or Ochratoxin A Clean-up and Analysis – A Novel Approach in Mycotoxin Analysis”

The purpose of the talk was to showcase our newest method and instrument:

Building on the FREESTYLE Automated Sample Preparation Instrument, the new ThermELUTE module and columns enable rapid, sensitive analysis of Aflatoxin or Ochratoxin A. The ThermELUTE module uses a thermal denaturation technique to release jellybean4toxin from a new column format requiring only 20% of usual solvent volumes, and FREESTYLE quantitatively transfers the eluate into the HPLC. In combination with online injection, analytical sensitivity can be increased without manual manipulation. The increase in sensitivity provides a reduction of sample load, while maintaining excellent chromatographic results. The increase of sensitivity allow analysis of mycotoxin levels well below regulatory limits.

The ThermELUTE takes the separate steps of cleanup and analysis, and combines them into one automated system. Using a FREESTYLE robotic system equipped with the

FREESTYLE Automated Sample Preparation System
FREESTYLE Automated Sample Preparation System

ThermELUTE module, we can now clean up a sample for mycotoxins, and then directly inject the cleaned sample onto the HPLC column for analysis!

Automating Mycotoxin Analyses from Cleanup to Detection:

  • Results 3 times faster
  • 80% less solvent
  • Direct connect to HPLC

The brochure for ThermELUTE can be found HERE. To view the slides from our presentation, click HERE.

 

carbamate, clean-up, eluvac, freestyle, glyphosate, GPC, NEMC, pinnacle pcx, post-column derivatization, Uncategorized

NEMC 2013

Pickering Laboratories participated in the National Environmental Monitoring Conference in San Antonio, Texas from August 4-8.

niosita low res
Old San Antonio

Rebecca and Wendy were on-hand to share Pickering’s products with the environmental laboratories involved with the conference.  On display were the new FREESTYLE sample clean-up system and the Pinnacle PCX.

Some highlights of the conference included a new product by InnovaPrep, which will rapidly concentrate pathogens in liquid samples, and the 2-D GCMS analysis of POPs in human milk. There were also several interesting discussions about pesticide extraction and analysis as well as the use of Hydrogen as a carrier gas in GC (instead of Helium, for which there is currently a shortage).

The meeting was held at the Hyatt in downtown San Antonio on the Riverwalk. This area of town is full of history and interesting architecture. We were also located directly across the plaza from the Alamo.

alamo low res
Remember the Alamo
aflatoxin, Amino Acid Analysis, amino acids, antioxidants, artificial perspiration, clean-up, deoxynivalenol, freestyle, glyphosate, GPC, immunoaffinity cleanup, mycotoxin, natural toxins, New Products, pickering, pickering laboratories, pinnacle pcx, post-column derivatization, Uncategorized

2013 Pickering Laboratories North American Catalog

Our latest Catalog for North America is now available!

Click on the link to download the latest product Catalog from Pickering Laboratories, Inc.

Pickering Catalog: http://pickeringlabs-retentiontimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2013_PickeringLabs_Catalog_NorthAmerica_LowRes.pdf

Inside our catalog you will find a complete product listing for all instruments and consumables we currently have available. From Sample Cleanup to Post-Column Derivatization, to artificial Perspiration and Saliva, we hope you find something you will find useful!

AcceCLEAN, aflatoxin, amino acid, Amino Acid Analysis, amino acids, antioxidants, AOAC, AOAC's Laboratory of the Year Award, artificial perspiration, carbamate, Chromatography, clean-up, column, deoxynivalenol, detector, dietary supplements, DON, Dr. Pickering, elisa, eluvac, ergot alkaloid, freestyle, GARD, glyphosate, GPC, Guard, HPLC, immunoaffinity cleanup, Multi-residue Mycotoxin Analysis, mycotoxin, natural toxins, New Products, Ninhydrin, ochratoxin, paralytic shellfish toxin, Physiological Fluids, pickering laboratories, pinnacle, pinnacle pcx, Post-column, post-column derivatization, psp, sweat, syringe pump, Trione, UVE, vector

Pickering Laboratories in 2013

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By Wendy Rasmussen

In recent years, we have released several new products and applications, and with still more on the horizon, it occurred to me that now would be a great time to summarize the Pickering of today – our mindset and our wide variety of products & applications.

Acai Berries
Acai Berries

No longer are we simply the “Post-Column Company”. We are the “Automated-Sample Antioxidants” company.  Think of us as the new “super fruit.” The Acai berry, or perhaps the new Chia Seeds (incidentally, we do have a post-column application for the identification & quantitation of  Antioxidants in a variety of matrices).

We are still very active, and we as a company plan to be here for many years to come. We are still the company founded on chemistry and a desire to to teach, to spread our technical expertise, to support our customers.

It’s been a few years now since Pickering began distributing and supporting our LCTech Product line.  The products have shown an ever increasing interest here in the US and in Canada (our official Sales Territory for this product line). We are very proud to offer these products and we hope we can develop it further in the future.

Historically, we have provided the back-end of an analysis (post-column derivatization). Nowadays, we can provide the front-end of analysis as well (the sample-cleanup).

In thinking about our product offerings, I realized that a simple list does not effectively show the scope of the products we have to offer in 2013 – primarily because we have a lot of overlap between products and product lines.  We’re not a vertical company in that regard.  I suppose one could say our product offerings are more circular in that many do not fall into a single distinct category.  I am a very visual person, and for me, a Venn diagram and our overall “product scale” really helped to understand and clarify our products:

Venn Diagram of Pickering Laboratories
Venn Diagram of Pickering Laboratories
General "Product Scale" for Pickering Offerings
General “Product Scale” for Pickering Offerings
For those of who like lists, you can find one Here, on Pickering’s website, and on LCTech’s Website

For any Questions, please feel free to contact us:

Pickering Laboratories, Inc.
Mountain View, California
Email: sales@pickeringlabs.com
Phone: (direct) 650-694-6700 or (toll-free) 800-654-3330

 

Image of Acai Berries:  http://acaiberryeducation.com/

aflatoxin, Amino Acid Analysis, carbamate, chromatographic specialties, Chromatography, clean-up, eluvac, freestyle, glyphosate, GPC, herbal products, HPLC, immunoaffinity cleanup, lctech, Multi-residue Mycotoxin Analysis, mycotoxin, natural products, natural toxins, New Products, Ninhydrin, ochratoxin, pickering laboratories, pinnacle pcx, Pittcon, post-column derivatization, spe

Pickering Exhibits at Pittcon 2013

This year’s Pittcon was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from March 17-21, 2013.

view of philly from the museum On display were Pinnacle PCX, EluVAC, and a video of the FREESTYLE Automated Sample Preparation Instrument.  The video was a new technique for us, and it was well received.

The video in our booth was a combination of the separate videos for each module of the FREESTYLE Automated Sample Preparation Instrument. You can view the originals here (they are very informative, and we highly recommend them): FREESTYLE VIDEOS

Wendy, Mike and David enjoyed visiting with existing and future customers, as well as our distributors from around the world, including our Canadian distributor, Chromatographic Specialties.

Before the show opened, we had the opportunity to explore the city.  Philadelphia is one of our oldest cities and is full of history and landmarks. Some of this editor’s favorites include Independence Hall and the surrounding neighborhoods, and the Art Museum (see more below).  On this trip, we explored Reading Terminal Market, and sampled that famous cuisine, the Philly Cheese steak Sandwich. I’m told it is not truly a Philly Steak sandwich unless you have it with Cheez Whiz. Any type of real cheese doesn’t count. I made that mistake on my first trip to Philadelphia, and the man behind the counter let me know it!  I wasn’t about to make that mistake again:

philly cheesesteak

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is known for its amazing collection of artwork (viewed on a previous visit), but is also made famous by the scene of Sylvester Stallone running up the stairs in the movie Rocky.  Since the author of this entry happened to be training for a race, she decided that a little cold wasn’t going to stop her. So she put on her iPod (Rocky Theme playing, of course), and ran from the hotel to the top of the steps and back (total distance: about 2.8miles).

view from the bottom

wendy philly top of steps

wendy rockyOn the return to the hotel, I came across a version of the LOVE sculpture, by American Artist Robert Indiana. I always thought it was was much bigger…

love sculpture

 

For those of you interested in learning more about the sculpture, click HERE

If you’re ever in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is definitely worth a visit.

But if you can’t make the trip to Philadelphia, you could also stay home and watch Rocky…

aflatoxin, AOAC, clean-up, eluvac, freestyle, immunoaffinity cleanup, mycotoxin, pinnacle pcx, post-column derivatization, UVE

Aflatoxins in Edible Oils Collaborative Study Published

Pickering Laboratories, Inc was one of several laboratories who participated in a collaborative study, the results of which were published in the November-December issue of Journal Of AOAC International.

Here is the reference:

Determination of Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in Olive Oil, Peanut Oil, and Sesame Oil using Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup, Post Column Derivatization and Liquid Chromatography/Fluorescence Detection: Collaborative Study.

Authors: Bao, Lei; Liang, Chengzhu; Trucksess, Mary W.; Xu, Yanli; Lv, Ning; Wu, Zhenxing; Jing, Ping; Fry, Fred S.

Source: Journal of AOAC International, Volume 95, Number 6, November-December 2012, pp. 1689-1700(12)

Participating laboratories could use Photochemical Derivatization or electrochemical derivatization.  The sample clean-up was performed using Immunoaffinity clean-up columns.

Pickering has many great tools for the analysis of Aflatoxins, including the UVE Photochemical Reactor, our Pinnacle PCX, immunoaffinity clean-up columns, HPLC columns, and column handling equipment such as the FREESTYLE SPE, AcceCLEAN, and EluVac.