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Chemical Residues Laboratory

Instrumentation 

The laboratories house the following equipment:

SCIEX 6500+ QTRAP mass spectrometer coupled to an Agilent Infinity II UHPLC funded by Science Foundation Ireland (16/RI/3710). This QTRAP 6500+ system features the multi-component IonDriveTM Technology such as the IonDriveTM Turbo V Source and IonDrive High Energy Detector. This system is also fitted with an ion mobility separation system that can be used as a rapid sample separation system. The SCIEX QTRAP 6500+ is an ultra high sensitive instrument that can be used to detect trace levels of contaminants in food or environmental samples.   The current applications that are running on this system are:

  • Analysis of veterinary drugs in groundwater samples.
  • Vitamin K analysis in eggs and fish.
  • Mycotoxin analysis in milk and dairy products.
  • Banned nitrofuran drugs in meat, aquaculture, eggs and plasma.

SCIEX 5500+ QTRAP mass spectrometer coupled to SCIEX ExionLC™ UHPLC, which was funded by Teagasc strategic budget.  This system is used for:

  • Analysis of bound residues of nitrofuran drugs in meat.
  • Anticoccidial drugs in eggs and meat.
  • Chlorate residues in milk and dairy products.
  • Banned nitrofuran drugs in meat, aquaculture, eggs and plasma

Waters XEVO TQXS triple quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled to an Acquity UHPLC separation system was funded by the Prepared Consumer Food centre funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine.  This a versatile system equipped with Electrospray and UniSpray ionisation probes that can be applied in a number of food analysis applications. The applications currently running on this system include:

  • Chlorate analysis in milk and milk powders.
  • Antiviral drug analysis in meat.
  • Vitamins in food.

Agilent 7900 ICP-MS system is used for elemental analysis of minerals and heavy metals in complex samples. It is equipped with a robotic autosampler SPS4, with integrated sample introduction system (ISIS3) capabilities for high throughput analysis, with a micro-mist nebuliser and Schott spray chamber producing a fine and very reproducible spray which is injected into the torch.  The kinetic energy discrimination (KED) and multiple analysis modes allow optimal removal of interference, specifically polyatomic interferences in food and environmental samples. This is currently used for analyzing minerals in food but can also be used for the analysis of heavy metals. 

Agilent 6460 mass spectrometer coupled to an Agilent Infinity II UHPLC.  This system is used to run a number of accredited methods for the agrifood industry.

  • FADM 593: Determination of Furazolidone, Furaltadone, Nitrofurantoin and Nitrofurazone as their metabolites in Honey Samples.
  • FADM633: Determination of Anticoccidials in Egg and Muscle by UPLC-MS/MS.
  • FADM 634: High Level Determination of Anticoccidials in Muscle.
  • FADM 635: Determination of Anticoccidials in Milk by UPLC-MS/MS.
  • FADM 636: Determination of Cyromazine and Imidocarb in Muscle by UPLC-MS/MS.
  • FADM 654: Determination of Pesticides in Foods of Animal Origin by UPLC- MS/MS.

Agilent 6470 mass spectrometer coupled to an Agilent Infinity II UHPLC.  This system is used for analysing chlorate residues in milk and dairy samples.   The system can be also used for the analysis of anthelmintic and anticoccidial drugs.

Waters Quattro Premier XE triple quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled to a binary Acquity UHPLC separation system.  The Quattro Premier XE is used in the accredited laboratories at Ashtown to run a number including:

  • FADM 515 Determination of anthelmintic residues in animal tissues and milk by UPLC-MS/MS.
  • FADM 516 Determination of anthelmintic residues in animal tissues and milk by UPLC-MS/MS.
  • FADM 583: Determination of anthelmintic residues in animal tissues and milk by UPLC-MS/MS.

The Thermo ScientificTM DionexTM ICS-6000 Ion chromatography system fitted with Dionex ICS-6000 conductivity detector and Dionex ICS-6000 elctrochemical detector offers a versatile application in carbohydrate and anion analysis in a diverse food matrices such as dairy, beverages, prepared foods, fruits and vegetables and environmental samples.  DionexTM ICS-6000 system also comprises state-of-the-art automated eluent generator reducing time and cost in preparing hazardous eluents in exact concentration required for optimal separation of analytes. This system features simultaneous or sequential dual analysis capabilities using Dionex ICS-6000 dual pump and detection systems maximizing efficiency and throughput.  The current applications that are running on this system are:

  • Analysis of anions in milk and environmental samples.
  • Carbohydrates in beverages

Services and bookings 

Teagasc provide a specialist analytical service for the agrifood sector. This work can be carried out on a project basis, research collaboration or using the accredited tests that are available in our ISO17025 laboratories (https://www.inab.ie/FileUpload/Testing/Teagasc-38T.pdf).

List of Flexible Scope Changes (pdf)

Contacts:

Dr Martin Danaher is Head of the Accredited testing laboratories at the Teagasc Food Research Centre at Ashtown, Dublin 15. He has a PhD in analytical chemistry from University College Cork and has over 20 years experience in analytical method development and testing. 

Dr Mary Moloney is the Quality Manager of the Accredited testing laboratories at the Teagasc Food Research Centre at Ashtown.  Mary has a PhD in industrial chemistry from University of Limerick and has extensive experience in method validation and complex method development. 

Dr Martin Danaher: email martin.danaher@teagasc.ie

or

Dr Mary Moloney:  email:  mary.moloney@teagasc.ie