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Food testing laboratories are facing increasing pressure to deliver fast, reliable, and defensible results across complex matrices. Expanding pesticide panels, stricter regulatory expectations, and the need to maintain high throughput are pushing traditional analytical workflows to their limits.
This webinar explores how laboratories can improve performance by rethinking their workflows — from sample preparation through confirmation. This session will focus on the role of advanced sample preparation techniques, such as dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME), in improving extraction efficiency, reducing solvent consumption, and minimizing matrix effects. By producing cleaner extracts, laboratories can improve reproducibility, reduce rework, and increase overall productivity.
We’ll examine how modern analytical workflows can support both screening and quantitation, enabling laboratories to manage increasing analyte complexity while maintaining confirmation confidence and operational efficiency. Perspectives from leading laboratories will provide insight into real-world challenges, including workflow bottlenecks, cost-per-analysis pressures, and the need to scale operations without compromising data quality.
Key learning objectives
- Identify key analytical challenges in food safety testing, including multi-residue detection, matrix complexity, and evolving regulatory requirements.
- Assess the effectiveness of advanced sample preparation techniques, such as DLLME, for improving extraction efficiency and consistency across diverse food matrices.
- Implement LC-MS-based workflows to enhance sensitivity, throughput, and reliability in routine food safety laboratories.
- Integrate workflow-based approaches to streamline operations, reduce variability, and support compliance with global food safety standards.
About the presenters
Aristide Ganci, PhD
Product Manager Environmental Food and Safety, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Aristide Ganci is an environmental and food testing chemist and product manager specializing in LC- and GC-MS solutions. Since joining Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2021 he has developed new analytical workflows for food and environmental applications. He holds an industrial PhD in Environmental Analytical Chemistry from the University of Birmingham.
Ed George
EFS Regulatory Marketing Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Ed George holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and has 15 years of environmental laboratory experience. Since joining Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2014, he has developed LC-MS/MS and Orbitrap MS workflows for pesticides, veterinary drugs, and PFAS. He has collaborated on multiple method development projects with regulatory agencies, including the USEPA.
Richard Cochran, PhD
Product Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific
With over 18 years of chromatography and mass spectrometry experience, Rich Cochran leads product strategy and lifecycle management at Thermo Fisher Scientific, developing differentiated analytical solutions for targeted, structural, and non-targeted analysis. He collaborates across cross-functional teams to align innovation with customer needs in environmental and food safety testing.
Dr. Rob O’Brien
VP Quality and Research, Factors Group of Nutritional Companies
Dr. Rob O’Brien brings extensive experience across academia, laboratory leadership, and the nutritional products industry. A former UBC Okanagan analytical chemistry professor, he founded several companies, including ISO 17025-accredited Supra Research and Development, and remains active in AOAC.