February 10, 2011
US consumables company analyses dioxins in animal feed
A US company, Phenomenex, has published a new approach for the analysis of dioxins in animal feed by means of high-resolution gas chromatography with mass spec detection (HRGCMS).
The new method, developed in collaboration with Vista Analytical, also analyses dioxin-like compounds, dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are often monitored in conjunction with dioxins to give an overall toxic equivalent (TEQ) for a sample.
Dioxins enter the environment, and subsequently the food chain, through combustion of organic materials in waste incineration.
Recently 2,256 tonnes of fat, incorporated into feed products in Germany, were found to be highly contaminated, posing the threat of chain reaction through the food supply.
The method was used to analyse non-organic chicken feed, as well as fish from the Mississippi River and Great Lakes, and shrimp from a variety of international sources.