Advances in Food Safety Analysis: From Regulatory Standards to Method Development

Event Overview

This webinar comprises three presentations as detailed below:

The Technical Reality of Enforcing Pesticide Regulatory Standards in Diverse Matrices

• Deidre E. Damon, PhD, Chemical Laboratory Supervisor: Pesticide Residue and Metals, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Consumer Protection Laboratory

This presentation reviews the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s routine extraction and detection of over 300 pesticides and how this testing ties into federal government programs. Resulting methods used by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Pesticide Residue laboratory show a lower quantitation limit at or below 10 parts per billion in complex matrices using a QuEChERS extraction paired with GC/MS/MS and LC/MS/MS. This work will focus on complex matrices that tie into state enforcement and surveillance cases and the strategies used to overcome difficulties in these analyses.

Rapid Characterization of Edible Oils Using the Agilent InfinityLab Pro iQ LC/MS with Multimode Ionization

• Sue D’Antonio, Applications Chemist, Liquid Phase Separations Group, Agilent

In this study, an LC/MS workflow based on the Agilent InfinityLab Pro iQ mass detector equipped with a Multimode Ionization (MMI) source was evaluated for comprehensive edible oil characterization. The approach enables detection of a broad range of lipid classes, including fatty acids, glycerides, phospholipids, and oxidation products, while differentiating oils based on their composition. The method provides a streamlined and cost-effective approach for routine oil characterization, authenticity testing, and quality monitoring.

Method Development for Polar Anionic Compounds Using Mixed-Mode Chromatography

• Euan Ross, Principal Product Marketing Manager, Global F&E Lead, Waters Corporation

Highly polar anionic compounds, including polar pesticides and ultra-short-chain PFAS, can be difficult to retain and separate using conventional reversed-phase LC. This presentation explores mixed-mode chromatography as an alternative approach, showing how organic solvent, pH, and buffer concentration can be used to control retention, improve selectivity, and address matrix-related challenges in food analysis.

By attending this webinar you will:

• Understand the strategies used to detect pesticide residues in complex samples and how these methods support regulatory monitoring.
• Explore the measurable differences between edible oils and discover why accurately identifying impurities matters.
• Learn why highly polar anionic compounds are difficult to retain using conventional reversed-phase LC and how mixed-mode chromatography provides additional retention and selectivity control.
• See how organic solvent, pH, buffer concentration, and matrix conditions influence retention, selectivity, and peak shape in food-analysis examples involving polar pesticides and ultra-short-chain PFAS.

What you need to know

• Start time: 7 am PST (Los Angeles) / 9 am CST (Chicago) / 10 am EST (New York) / 3 pm GMT (London/Lisbon) / 4 pm CET (Paris/Berlin)

Speaker: Deidre E. Damon, PhD (Laboratory Supervisor, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Consumer Protection Laboratory)

Deidre E. Damon, PhD, has been a scientist and mass spectrometrist for the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Consumer Protection laboratory since 2019. She earned her PhD in analytical chemistry at the Ohio State University, focusing on alternative sampling and ionization sources for mass spectrometry. Since 2021, she has supervised the Pesticide Residue and the newly acquired Metals laboratory where she oversees regulatory and surveillance testing of pesticides and other toxic contaminants in environmental and food commodities on behalf of the U.S. EPA, USDA, and FDA for the state of Ohio.

Speaker: Sue D’Antonio (Applications Chemist, Agilent)

Sue D’Antonio is an Applications Chemist in the Liquid Phase Separations Group. Sue’s application support extends to HPLC, UHPLC, CE and LCMS single quad and Time of Flight across a wide range of markets and customers. Before coming to Agilent, Sue worked in the chemical industry as a QC and R&D chemist. 

Speaker: Euan Ross (Principal Product Marketing Manager, Global F&E Lead, Waters Corporation)

Euan Ross has more than twenty years’ experience working in the chromatography and LC-MS industry and has been with Waters Corporation since 2006. In his role as a Principal Product Marketing Manager, he focuses on supporting routine testing laboratories across the global food and environmental markets.
Euan works closely with customers to understand their analytical challenges and laboratory needs, helping to translate real world requirements into practical, robust solutions using Waters technologies.