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Presearch (Basingstoke UK) are the UK and Ireland distributors for UCT Solid Phase Extraction can now supply the QuEChERS methodologies based on the high quality SPE products from UCT.QuEChers is an acronym for Quick Easy Cheap and Safe, is a sample clean up and concentration technique for the analysis of multiple pesticides in high moisture food samples. Whilst the primary use of this method is for fruit and vegetable samples the QuEChers approach is finding increase use for a full range of food products such as honey, nuts, meats, soyabeans, animal feeds, foliage and other foods. 

Sample matrix interferences such as organic acids, plant pigments and other potential contaminants are efficiently removed during the clean up process yielding cleaner chromatograms. QuEChers methodology has and is becoming increasingly important because of the adverse affect on health that consumption of even small doses of pesticides can have. In addition to this large amounts of fruit and vegetables are now imported with accordant concerns over safety versus product grown domestically.  

Analysis of pesticides in food and environmental samples has been practised for over 40 years, but the methods used have been time consuming, laborious and expensive. To address these issues the QuEChers method has been developed to cope with increased sample workloads, this method has not only increased sample throughput in the laboratory but has also enhanced analytical sensitivity. The QuEChers method has proved to be cost effective, rapid, sensitive and sufficiently accurate for regulatory purposes and is now also published as part of the AOAC method 2007.01" Determination of Pesticide Residues in Food by acetonitrile partitioning with magnesium sulphate"  

For further information please visit www.presearch.co.uk