AOAC INDIA -Waters Workshop on Pesticide Residue ANALYSIs

Agenda for AOAC India Training at APEDA Reference Laboratory Training Centre, NRC Grapes, Pune
Date : 9th August, 2016
Duration : 10 :15 -17:00 hrs
Venue : National Referral Laboratory, ICAR-NRC Grapes, Pune

Training/Workshop details

Regulatory background

International marketing of fruits and vegetables offers a lucrative marketing opportunity across the world. However, accessing the EU markets requires compliance with a strict regulatory framework of measures designed to ensure human and plant health within the EU. This workshop will discuss the national control programmes, the EU residue control programme and additional monitoring for import controls (Regulation EC No 669/2009).

Introduction to the analysis of pesticides in foodstuffs

For the thorough analysis of hundreds of thousands of different possible pesticide-commodity combinations, the analytical chemists typically try to include as many compounds in one multi-residue method based upon both GC-MS and LC-MS techniques. We will discuss the analytical strategies for effective monitoring of pesticides, using both targeted quantification and non-targeted screening approaches, whilst meeting the requirements of accreditation, in a timely and cost effective manner.

The challenges faced when dealing with single residue methods (SRMs)

Multi-residue analyses determine as many residues as possible in the smallest number of analyses. Some polar and ionic pesticides and metabolites are not “amenable” to common multi-residue methods and so need alternative conditions for extraction and chromatography. Historically these have been treated as a series of selective single residue methods (SRM) adding significant costs and hence they were often excluded from surveillance. Recently, there has been an increase in interest in a range of polar and ionic pesticides due to their high usage, concerns over cancer and toxicity to infants, high frequency of detection of residues in certain imports and confusion over the enforcement of the pesticide default MRL of 0.01 mg/kg to crops containing a high frequency of residues due to other sources of contamination. We will discuss options for the analysis of such SRM compounds.

Analytical quality control and validation procedures for pesticide residue analysis in food and feed

The quality of each of the critical steps of the analysis of pesticide residues in foodstuffs in the EU is controlled by a set of guidelines. We will cover aspects of sample preparation used to convert the laboratory sample into an analytical sample, the processing of the analytical samples to make them acceptably homogeneous with respect to analyte distribution prior to removal of a portion for analysis, extraction, optional cleanup to remove matrix co-extractives and determination, typically using GC- and LC-MS and validation of methods.

Speaker : Dr. Simon Hird- Principal Scientist -Waters Corporation, Wilmslow , Manchester, UK

Dr Simon worked for more than 20 years in (EU-RL/NRL) Central Science Laboratory, now Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), initially in Aberdeen and then York, UK. He had various roles at FERA including responsibility for pesticide residues in foodstuffs by GC-MS and LC-MS, then management of food authenticity programmes mostly involving isotope ratio mass spectrometry, delivery of a rapid response service mostly involving mass spectrometric analysis before becoming Team Leader responsible for the technical and operational management of the LC-MS/MS Team including analysis of food for residues of pesticide and veterinary drug residues and other food and environmental contaminants.

After 20 years, Simon left FERA in November 2014 to take the role of principal scientist with Waters based at the MS centre, Wilmslow, UK. His new role involves collaboration with users worldwide on the application of mass spectrometry for applications in the food and environment markets. Simon has 25 year’s experience of using mass spectrometry that plays such a vital role to solve many problems we face related to safety and authenticity of food, for governments, the industry and consumer alike

Kindly send your confirmation to

Mr. Vishal Arora, Secretary, AOAC India Section: [email protected]
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