Dr Ehrenstorfer: what’s new this month – October 2021
Depending on which part of the world we’re in, October is perhaps the month when we’re most aware of the shift between the light and the dark - or the dark and the light. It reminds us that change is part of being human – and it’s certainly part of working at Dr Ehrenstorfer. We’re always striving to keep our portfolio of reference materials up to date with new regulations and the latest research. So why not take a look at our most recent product updates and get in touch to find out how we can help meet your laboratory’s needs.
FOOD ADDITIVES, FLAVOURS AND ADULTERANTS
According to the European Commission, food fraud costs the industry between €8-12 billion every year, as well as damaging consumer confidence and business reputations. After factoring in the financial and human costs of accidental food contamination and mislabelling, it’s clear that analytical labs have a vital role to play in detecting food additives, flavours and adulterants, and safeguarding the integrity of what we eat and drink. Dr Ehrenstorfer has introduced 14 new products to its food portfolio, including a reference material for sesamolin – a major lignan of sesame oil whose anti-cancer and antioxidant properties mean it’s used in Asian countries as a natural food additive. Despite its therapeutic properties, however, sesamolin can also be classed as a contaminant – one study found that inadequate cleaning of equipment used to process sesame oil resulted in sesamolin being found in around a dozen different cold-pressed oils from the same facility.
View our range of food additive, flavour and adulterant reference standards here.
STANDARDS TO SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING
In the 50 years since its establishment, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published more than 1,500 test methods designed to protect people and the environment from pollution. The various methods are still the backbone of much of the work done in modern analytical laboratories, which is why Dr Ehrenstorfer has added another 27 new reference materials to its Environmental Testing range – 25 of them related to EPA methods. These include standards mixtures to support EPA 8020 for the detection of the concentration of various aromatic volatile compounds, including chloroform and toluene) and EPA 507 (for detecting nitrogen- and phosphorous-containing pesticides in ground and drinking water).
View our range of environmental testing reference standards here.
HYDROCARBONS AND PETROCHEMICALS
Petroleum distillates, or petrochemicals, account for about 40 per cent of the world chemicals market and are found in practically every area of modern life - from aspirin to aircraft, and soaps to solvents. But the aromatic compounds present in petrochemicals are also major important environmental pollutants that release toxic products into the environment through industry waste products, emissions, effluents and other means. The Group One human carcinogen benzene is one particularly widely-used toxic chemical whose effects are increasingly concerning to both governments and the World Health Organization. To support the worldwide effort to test for hydrocarbons and petrochemicals in water, solid waste, sludge and sediment, we have released eight new reference materials this month – including three products related to benzene and nitrobenzene.
View our range of hydrocarbon and petrochemical reference standards here.