Top performance in FAPAS proficiency testing by MIP Technologies using SupelMIP™ SPE for quantification of Chloramphenicol in prawns

MIP Technologies AB, announced today their results from a FAPAS^® (Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme) proficiency test of Chloramphenicol in prawns. MIP Technologies' laboratory used a SupelMIP™ SPE-Chloramphenicol cartridge for extraction of Chloramphenicol in prawns and arrived with their method at the assigned value 0.61 microgram/kg with a z-score of 0.

FAPAS is the largest international analytical proficiency testing scheme and has been operating since 1990. The test material for FAPAS^® proficiency test 02109 was dispatched in March 2008. Each participant received a prawn test material to be analyzed for Chloramphenicol. In total, 131 sets of test material were distributed to participants in 34 countries. Of these participants, 93 percent returned results for the target analyte within the time-scale required by the Scheme and 82 percent of the laboratories participating arrived at a satisfactory result.

MIP Technologies used a simple, fast sample clean-up method using the selective SupelMIP SPE-Chloramphenicol cartridge followed by a highly sensitive LC-MS-MS method for the quantitative determination of Chloramphenicol. The method was developed and validated according to EU Council Directive 657/2002 EC.

"We are extremely pleased with the results of the proficiency test. This is yet again a demonstration of the high quality and reproducibility of SupelMIPs. Using SupelMIP SPE leads to simple, fast, selective, sensitive and robust methods," said Dr. Christine Widstrand, Chief Business Officer at MIP Technologies.

"The SupelMIP-SPE Chloramphenicol cartridge used for sample clean-up of Chloramphenicol from prawns in the FAPAS test has also been used for development of Chloramphenicol extraction from other matrices. Applications are available for extraction of Chloramphenicol from milk, honey, urine and plasma with low detection limits and clean extracts," said, Dr. Anna-Karin Wihlborg and Dr. An Trinh, Product Managers at MIP Technologies and Supelco, respectively.

The SPE sorbents based on molecularly imprinted polymers are developed by MIP Technologies. SupelMIP™ is a trademark of Supelco (a division of the Sigma-Aldrich^® Group), the worldwide product distributor.