Thermo Fisher Scientific is providing laboratories performing food safety analysis with a new ion chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (IC-MS/MS) workflow solution for regulatory compliant, cost-effective and reliable analysis of quaternary ammonium pesticides (Quats).

The new Thermo Scientific Dionex IonPac CS21-Fast-4µm ion exchange column enables scientists to easily and accurately determine and quantify the four cationic pesticides: diquat, paraquat, mepiquat and chlormequat. These highly polar, permanently charged chemicals are notoriously challenging to analyse, and have, until now, required complex workflows that are prone to quantitation errors.

When coupled with the TSQ Altis Plus triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, food safety testing laboratories will benefit from reliable and robust Quat analysis that confidently meets regulatory requirements, while improving laboratory productivity. IonPac CS21 and Thermo Scientific TSQ Altis Plus triple quadrupole mass spectrometer complement the existing Anionic Pesticide Explorer (APX) solution from Thermo Fisher Scientific, providing total coverage for all polar, highly polar, ionic and ionizable food contaminants in one IC-MS/MS system. Together, the system and new column can determine and quantify not only Quats, but also glyphosate and its metabolites, and related compounds.