In food we trust – the passion of food analysis

Significance of the Topic

The safety and quality of food products play a pivotal role in public health and consumer trust. Beer, as one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, requires rigorous monitoring for contaminants ranging from heavy metals and mycotoxins to pesticide residues. Advances in analytical chemistry enable precise detection and quantitation at ultra-trace levels, supporting regulatory compliance and ensuring product integrity from farm to glass.

Objectives and Study Overview

This seminar focused on the development and demonstration of analytical workflows for tracing contaminants in beer. Three main study streams were presented: multi-element quantitation of metallic impurities, screening for mycotoxins, and determination of glyphosate residues. The goals were to achieve low limits of quantification (LOQ), robust sample throughput, and compliance with European and international regulations.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Sample Preparation

• Direct dilution or spiking, ultrasonic treatment, acidification with nitric acid.
• For glyphosate: workflows both with FMOC derivatisation and without derivatisation.

Analytical Techniques

• ICP-MS using ICPMS-2030 with minitorch technology for multi-element analysis at ppt levels.
• LC-MS/MS on Nexera MX coupled with LCMS-8060 for polar pesticide analysis.
• LC coupled with PDA and fluorescence detection (RF-20Axs) for mycotoxin profiling.
• Spectroscopic methods (UV, FTIR) and other chromatographic systems (GC-MS, HPLC, AAS, ICP-OES).

Key Results and Discussion

Heavy Metals

• Simultaneous determination of over 70 elements down to sub-ppt concentrations.
• Calibration range from 0.002 μg/L to 20 mg/L demonstrated accurate quantitation in beer matrices.

Mycotoxins

• Ten common mycotoxins quantified within a 14-minute analysis window.
• Clear variability in ochratoxin A and aflatoxin contents across different beer batches.

Glyphosate

• Method without derivatisation achieved LOQ of 10 ng/mL, linearity r2>0.999.
• Derivatised workflow with FMOC offered comparable sensitivity but added sample preparation steps.
• Multiple commercial beers contained glyphosate below regulatory thresholds, confirming method robustness.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• High sensitivity and selectivity ensure detection of ultra-trace contaminants for food safety assessment.
• Automated data reporting and integrated workflows reduce analysis time and human error.
• Compliance with EU, US and international standards supports global trade and consumer confidence.

Future Trends and Opportunities

Emerging directions include miniaturised and field-deployable MS systems, automated sample preparation robots, and application of machine learning for data interpretation. Expansion into metabolomic profiling and non-target screening will further enhance the understanding of food authenticity and quality.

Conclusion

Shimadzu’s comprehensive portfolio—from ICP-MS and LC-MS/MS to spectroscopy and chromatography—offers state of the art analytical solutions for beer analysis. These technologies enable laboratories to maintain the highest levels of food quality and safety.

Used Instrumentation

• ICPMS-2030 with minitorch plasma interface
• Nexera MX UHPLC coupled with LCMS-8060
• RF-20Axs fluorescence detector
• UV-vis spectrophotometer, FTIR, GC-MS, HPLC, AAS, ICP-OES

References

• Highly Polar Pesticide Analysis in Food Samples by LC-MS/MS, WP-351, ASMS 2014 Poster
• Application News 120: Analysis of Glufosinate, Glyphosate, and AMPA in Drinking Water Using Triple Quadrupole LC-MS/MS, Nov 2015