Category Archives: clean-up

Pickering Products

Mycotoxins: Clean-up Columns, ELISA Kits, Post-Column Derivatization Instruments & Methods, SPE manifolds (manual & automated) for the analysis of:

Aflatoxins
Ochratoxin A
DON
Nivalenol
Fumonisin FB1, FB2
Zearalenone
Ergot Alkaloids

Post-Column Derivatization: Pinnacle PCX, Vector PCX, UVE Photochemical Reactor, Columns, Reagents, Eluants for the analysis of:

Antioxidants
Mycotoxins (individual and multi-residue)
Amino Acids
Biogenic Amines
Paralytic Shellfish Toxin
Polyether Antibiotics
Hexavalent Chromium
Vitamins
Sugars
Nitrate/Nitrite
Bromate
Carbamate Pesticides
Glyphosate Herbicide
NDELA
Formaldehyde

Sample Preparation (clean-up) Instruments:

FREESTYLE for SPE, GPC, online-concentration
FREESTYLE ThermELUTE for Aflatoxin analysis (direct inject onto HPLC)
AcceCLEAN for SPE (incl. Immunoaffinity columns)
EluVAC vacuum manifold for SPE (incl. Immunoaffinity columns)
GPC QUATTRO for manual GPC Cleanup
DECS System for the cleanup of samples for Dioxin analysis

Chemistry Products:

Artificial Perspiration
Artificial Saliva
High Purity Water

Stand-Alone OEM Syringe Pump:

For any applications requiring an inert flow path, volumes up to 70mL, and pressures up to 500psi

For More Information visit:

www.pickeringlabs.com

or email: sales@pickeringlabs.com

New! FREESTYLE Series Instrumentation

Pickering Laboratories introduced the Freestyle™ Sample Clean-up workstation from LCTech at this year’s AOAC International meeting in New Orleans.  Building on the success of the GPC Ultra product line of Gel Permeation Chromatography systems,  the FREESTYLE™Series  is an innovative design adding new time saving features to the automated sample clean-up work flow.

The Freestyle™ begins with:

  • FREESTYLE Basic, which has an XYZ robotic arm for automated liquid handling; dilutions, additions, mixing, extraction, dispensing, and other operations.
  • Add the GPC module for GPC processing of up to 4 GPC columns. 
  • Add to this the SPE module to enable SPE processing. 
  • Add the EVA module for programmable evaporation and solvent exchange for a completely automated in-line evaporation instrument.
Flexibility of the system starts with the suspended rack design. The system can handle multiple vial shapes from 1mL to 1000mL.

The FREESTYLE™software is drag and drop to program multiple sample parameters and able to handle exceptions to insert into the workflow. Graphical reporting and full audit logs round out the robust software.

The FREESTYLE™ automation of sample clean-up saves time, improves consistency and protects your staff from potentially harmful chemical exposure.

Send us an email or give us a call to find out how FREESTYLE™ can solve your sample clean-up challenges. 

Email: sales@pickeringlabs.com
Phone: Toll-free: 800-654-3330, Direct: 650-694-6700

ACIL Annual Meeting, San Diego, California

The American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL) show in San Diego, California on October 9-12, was a new opportunity for Pickering Laboratories to introduce ourselves to the principals of these independent laboratories during their annual networking meeting.

The meeting was a great opportunity to visit with existing customers, but also to make new contacts in the Environmental testing industry. At the meeting we had information on our mainstay applications and also presented our new GPC Cleanup Instruments and other new products to prospective customers.

Rebecca Smith reports that the meeting was a success in terms of networking, scientific and educational talks.

Our new Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) line continues to perform well. We have both automated and manual GPC cleanup systems and we also have systems that include concentration & solvent exchange. Sample cleanup using GPC is especially useful for fatty matrices, but also perfect for vegetable matter and spices, as well as soil & waste water.

Our next show is Pittcon 2011 on March 13-18 in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can read more about the ACIL at their website: www.acil.org

NIST/NIH Dietary Supplements Quality Assurance Program Workshop

By Wendy Rasmussen

Natural products industry is under increasing pressure to increase analytical testing of raw materials and finished products. This not only includes contaminants (such as heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins), but also identification and nutrition labeling.

The DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act) created the Office of Dietary Supplements in 2002. The Dietary Supplement Quality Assurance Program, is a collaboration between the NIH’s ODS and the NIST. The program consists of Exercises in which several samples are sent out to participating labs throughout the year, and the results are then analyzed in a report. This is a completely voluntary exercise, and it gives a laboratory a great opportunity to check their results against a certified value and also against those of their peers. Even though participation is not part of a regulatory certification, the choice to participate greatly increases confidence and credibility.

And since the NIST are working closely with the NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements, I asked the ODS if they could describe the relationship:

“The DSQAP is part of the ODS Analytical Methods and Reference Materials Program. We’ve been funding them to produce supplement matrix reference materials since about 2002. A few years ago, we discovered that NIST had QA programs for other commodities, and we thought that a dietary supplement program would complement the reference materials already being produced and added funding to the inter agency agreement we already had in place with them. While we are a funder for the NIST program, it could be described as more of a collaboration than a strict funding relationship. NIST pretty much matches our funding with internal funding. “

The NIST website http://www.nist.gov/mml/analytical/dsqaprogram.cfm also does a good job of describing the program in more detail. If you would like to participate in the DSLQAP, they would love to have more participants, just send them an email to the address on the above webpage.

This past September, the NIST hosted a workshop in Bethesda, MD which brought together participants from several sample exercises. This was a great opportunity for labs and companies to come together to discuss and learn. Pickering Laboratories participated in the most recent Exercises by analyzing Aflatoxin in peanut samples.

We used our Photochemical reactor (UVE) and our AflaCLEAN Immunoaffinity columns for the sample cleanup. The results can be found on our new application note and in a presentation given to the group at the workshop.

We gave a quick presentation to the group on Thursday morning, detailing our method and results. We would love to share our talk titled simply  “Aflatoxin Analysis”. Just send us an email to support@pickeringlabs.com and we’ll send you a copy!

The Photochemical derivatization of Aflatoxins has been shown to be a very rugged and sensitive method for analyzing low-levels of the toxins. And the Immunoaffinity columns can be used to cleanup a very wide variety of sample matrices. Indeed, there have been several publications showing the results using Photochemical Derivatization.

We are now distributing Mycotoxin Immunoaffinity products for Ochratoxin and Aflatoxin. The performance and batch-to-batch reproducibility of the columns is exceptional and far exceeds that of other manufacturers. The columns can be used for any matrix, from wine and juice, to nuts and grains, to herbs and spices. Contact Sales for more information.

Definition of Acronyms:
NIH – National Institutes of Health
ODS – Office of Dietary Supplements, part of NIH
NIST – National Institute of Standards and Technology
DSLQAP – Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program, formed by the ODS in collaboration with NIST
AHPA – American Herbal Products Association
AOAC – Association of Analytical Chemists

Laszlo Torma has also contributed a very nice piece about our Membership in the AHPA on our blog.

New Product Lines from Pickering, October 2009

New Product Lines from Pickering

Mycotoxin product lineMycotoxin product line (PDF)
We are now distributing Mycotoxin Immunoaffinity products for Ochratoxin and Aflatoxin. The performance and batch-to-batch reproducibility of the columns is exceptional and far exceeds that of other manufacturers. The columns can be used for any matrix, from wine and juice, to nuts and grains, to herbs and spices. Contact Sales for more information.
GPC Sample Clean up line
GPC Sample Clean Up Line Products Page
We have a new GPC Sample Clean-up product line! We have both automated and manual GPC cleanup systems and we also have systems that include concentration & solvent exchange, or just GPC. Sample cleanup using GPC is especially useful for fatty matrices, but also perfect for vegetable matter and spices, as well as soil & waste water.

New faster AAA columns Products Page
We now have a Lithium amino acid run which will separate 45 amino acids in 70 minutes for Physiologic fluids, an a new 30-min Sodium amino acid run which will separate the 20 amino acids commonly found in protein hydrolysate samples. These columns are for use with our Pinnacle PCX.
New faster AAA columns

 
Histamine Product Line
Our newly launched Histamine product line consists of Dip-sticks and Elisa kits as well as Post-column derivatization for fast and in-situ testing as well as quick, reproducible, and sensitive methods for follow-up confirmation. Contact Pickering Laboratories at 1-800-654-3330 or sales@pickeringlabs.com for more information!

Soap Opera

by Michael Pickering

In the process of washing laundry the cleaning agent is the water, the “universal solvent.” The surfactant (soap/detergent) facilitates the removal of strongly adsorbed and hydrophobic soil from the clothes. Foam, however, is a contaminant. Suds stabilizers added to the surfactant create persistent foam. Unfortunately, most consumers believe foaming to be evidence of a good surfactant; that it is desirable. The truth is quite the opposite. Foam residues are difficult to remove. Notice, after all, that the foam is excluded from the solution/emulsion phase: it floats. Thus the rinse cycle is inadequate to the task of removing it. It is the residue of these suds stabilizers on laundered swim suits that necessitate the frequent exchanging of spa water. Contaminated hot tubs, when set to the ‘jets’ cycle, quickly build up foam on the surface of the water. The foam becomes thicker and more persistent with each subsequent use. Eliminating the use of swim suits, or rinsing the suits with water alone, will greatly increase the life of your spa water.

Foam residues on top of water