Dr Ehrenstorfer: What’s new this month – June 2022

Releasing the June issue of this newsletter reminds us that, somewhat surprisingly, we’ve already reached the midpoint of 2022. For many, this half-year has been all about getting back to normal as the world begins to emerge from the pandemic. But at Dr Ehrenstorfer, we’re proud to say that, whatever is happening globally, we’ve never stopped working to improve our reference materials portfolio and support your analytical science. 

Cannabis reference materials: protection against the worsening mycotoxin threat.

Cannabis products are naturally prone to contamination with mycotoxins, and researchers say climate change is adding an extra level of threat for farmers and consumers. Food expert Professor Chris Elliott wrote recently that global heating was behind increasing levels of mycotoxins in crops, echoing research from Michigan State University that hotter and drier conditions in the US could spread aflatoxins north over the next 20 years. To help safeguard the integrity of the cannabis products you test, while also optimising the productivity of your laboratory, we’ve developed a reference material mixture featuring four major carcinogenic aflatoxins – B1, B2, G1 and G2. We’ve also just released four new neat cannabinoid products to aid your analysis of CBC, CBT, CBDA D9 and CBLA.  

Getting to grips with pharmaceutical and veterinary residues

The threat of pathogens developing resistance to traditional antimicrobial therapeutics has led to increasing global focus on the residues left by both human and animal drugs. Earlier this year, the European Union tightened its regulations on the use of veterinary antibiotics, while the environmental effect of human medicines has also come under close scientific scrutiny. The high-quality products in our Dr Ehrenstorfer range can help analytical scientists detect a host of pharmaceutical and veterinary residues. And by enabling the rapid screening of 59 analytes for liquid chromatography in just four ampoules, our breakthrough Smart Solutions PharmaVetResiMix kit further eases the burden on laboratories. This month, we’re releasing another six drug-specific PharmaVetResiMix products featuring reference materials mixtures for avermectins, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, benzimidazolesquinolones and betalactams. 

PCB pollution: an unwanted chemical legacy

Although their production was banned in the US after 1979 and in the UK from 1981, the world did not finally cease manufacturing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) until after the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001. Given that these probable carcinogens persist in the environment for decades – and that an estimated 1.5 million pounds were manufactured in the US alone - analysing the impact of PCB pollution in the environment, foods, and our bodies is likely to remain necessary long into the future. To help your laboratory carry out this crucial task with confidence, our extensive portfolio of PCB reference materialsfeatures a number of ISO 17034-certificated products, including  two new reference materials mixtures that feature 19 analytes and 10 analytes respectively.