Thermo Scientific has expanded its Matrix Amber 2D barcoded tubes

Thermo Scientific has expanded its Matrix Amber 2D barcoded tubes, by increasing their sizeable sample storage product portfolio to offer protection of light-sensitive samples. Available in 0.5 and 1.0 mL sizes, these sterile, DNase/RNase-free tubes are composed of Virgin Class IV Medical Grade Polypropylene with added amber color to safeguard samples from potentially detrimental ultraviolet (UV) light while still allowing users to gauge liquid levels inside the tube. Additionally, standard red caps prevent auto-luminescence and allow significantly less light penetration than white or clear caps. Designed in-line with the existing portfolio of Matrix^® 2D tubes, each Matrix Amber tube is fully compatible with 2D barcode readers, handheld de-cappers, freezer racks and automated instruments, allowing users to easily integrate them with existing equipment.

Each Thermo Scientific Matrix Amber 2D barcoded tube effectively blocks specific wavelengths of light, maintaining the integrity of samples that can be degraded by UV frequencies. In addition, the innovative 2D barcoding technology ensures that sample storage and tracking are performed with ease. Permanently etching a unique barcode onto the tube base means the codes will never fall off. The high-contrast etching ensures that they can even be accurately read following long-term cold storage.

In combination with the new line of Matrix Amber 2D barcoded tubes, Thermo Fisher offers a complete portfolio of sample storage and tracking equipment, including the Thermo Scientific Visionmate 2D barcode reader, Capit-All™ automated capper/decapper, handheld 8-channel decapper and a host of cold storage options.

For further information, view website: www.thermoscientific.com/2Damber

Thermo Scientific Revco UxF Series provides
a safe and easy-to-use method of sample storage

Thermo Scientific's Revco UxF Series of ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers, is its latest innovation in sample protection. The easy-to-use intuitive on-board computer incorporates an icon-driven touch-screen control panel for quick and easy access to a host of monitoring and control information. With a unique visual display, users can also gain an at-a-glance understanding of the health of the entire freezer, and thus the stored samples.

Through the inclusion of an event log, health monitoring system, and controlled access options, the Revco® UxF Series provides constant updates on the integrity and health of stored samples. The event log monitors sample safety by automatically alerting users and service teams of any parameter changes as they occur. As such, this extremely easy-to-use portfolio of ULTs provides outstanding sample protection.

For further information about the Revco UxF series, view website: www.thermoscientific.com/revcouxf

Thermo Fisher Scientific imaging ATR accessory
for fast and reliable FT-IR chemical imaging analyses

A new imaging attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory offering enhanced spatial resolution and high speed data acquisition capabilities for Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) chemical imaging applications, from Thermo Scientific, has been designed to seamlessly and effortlessly integrate with the Thermo Scientific range of FT-IR microscopes to enable efficient, fast and reliable chemical imaging of challenging samples. This is of particular benefit to manufacturers of composite structures, paper products, pharmaceutical dosage forms, biological tissues, polymer films and coatings. The product was showcased at the JAIMA Expo 2011 in Makuhrai Messe, Japan.

ATR is a popular sampling technique for infrared spectroscopy allowing direct contact sampling of solids and liquids without further preparation. When coupled with an FT-IR microscope, ATR provides a unique capability for exploring the microscopic structure of heterogeneous samples. Single point ATR mapping, while more flexible in terms of total image size and dimensions, requires many separate contact points to build up the imaging data set. The Thermo Scientific imaging ATR accessory provides a more rapid method because it requires the sample to be compressed only once against an extended area of contact. Data collection may then proceed at the same speed as normal transmission or external reflectance experiments.

The new imaging ATR accessory greatly simplifies the task of obtaining high quality infrared spectra in cases of samples that are difficult to prepare for transmission analysis. Observable features in specimens, such as defects, particles, fibers or inks, may be effectively analyzed with spatial resolution improved by a factor of four relative to transmission measurements. The accessory quickly snaps into the sample holder feature of Thermo Scientific Nicolet iN10, Nicolet iN10 MX and Nicolet Continuµm microscopes in a matter of seconds without the need of tools. All standard microscope optics remain available, thus avoiding any concerns of alignment or down time when switching between sampling modes. Transmission, external reflection, micro-ATR and imaging-ATR capabilities are all immediately available to address the requirements of any FT-IR microscopy application. 

For further information, e-mail: analyze@thermofisher.com or view website: www.thermoscientific.com/ftir

Thermo Fisher Scientific leading
mass spectrometry systems selected
by CVUA-MEL to ensure food safety with
rapid and reliable contaminant analysis

The Chemical and Veterinary Analytical Institute Münsterland-Emscher-Lippe (CVUA-MEL) has standardized on Thermo Scientific LC-MS and GC-MS systems for routine analyses of contaminants in food, feed and human samples. The CVUA-MEL requires extremely high resolution and highly sensitive instruments that can analyze small molecular weight contaminants in samples quickly and accurately and to the lowest limits of detection (LOD). Following a call to tender, which involved evaluation testing and result comparisons of a broad range of competitor products, the CVUA-MEL selected the Thermo Scientific Exactive benchtop MS coupled with the Transcend TLX system and DFS high resolution GC-MS systems. For information on how the systems help the CVUA-MEL ensure regulatory compliance, increase sample throughput and achieve greater sensitivity and improved accuracy, please see a detailed case study which is available to download: www.thermoscientific.com/fsnews

The CVUA-MEL aims to ensure food safety through vigorous scrutiny of potentially hazardous residues and contaminants, in line with current legislation. The Institute is the central official laboratory for food and feed control in the Münster district of Germany, specializing in the food chemistry, veterinary medicine, molecular biology, chemistry and physics fields.  The Exactive™ MS and DFS GC-MS systems are now being used by the Institute to analyze small molecular weight compounds such as dioxins, PCBs, pesticides and veterinary drug residues in food, feed and human samples.

The Exactive LC-MS system offers a high resolving power of up to 100,000 FHWM along with the ability to run pre-programmed targeted screening of samples without the need for thorough clean-up when combined with the Thermo Scientific Transcend TLX system. This benefit is achieved through the Transcend TLX system's capacity to automate online sample preparation, eliminating much of the manual work of extracting and cleaning compounds. The Exactive LC-MS also provides efficient, automated screening of urine samples taken from farms, detecting illegal drugs administered to animals and ensuring that withdrawal periods are being upheld by farmers in accordance with EU legislation. While delivering the analytical performance of a much larger instrument the Exactive system is conveniently small and compact, requiring minimal space in the laboratory.

Since its implementation, the Thermo Scientific DFS high-resolution GC-MS has significantly improved the analysis of dioxins, PCBs and brominated flame retardants at the CVUA-MEL. The versatile nature and ease-of-use of the system, with its optional two GCs for different column separations, provides the unique ability to simultaneously run two separate unattended batches of samples at different settings, greatly increasing screening speed, overall throughput and increasing full method versatility. The unparalleled high resolution capabilities of the DFS GC-MS have also substantially increased the accuracy of the laboratory's trace and target compound analysis.

Prof. Dr. Peter Fürst, head of the special instrumental analyses department at the CVUA-MEL, comments: "After an extensive selection process, we chose the Exactive MS coupled with the Transcend TLX System and the DFS high resolution GC-MS based on their ability to provide both high resolution and high sensitivity. The systems have not only uniquely fulfilled all our requirements, but have exceeded our expectations and provided significant additional benefits such as extended testing time due to the Transcend system's unattended overnight clean-up, improved staff productivity and improved screening speed. As a result, both these instruments have greatly enhanced our ability to ensure the safety of food and feed products and safeguard consumers from dangerous contaminants."

Thermo Fisher Scientific in profile
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of nearly $11 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, which offer a unique combination of continuous technology development and the most convenient purchasing options. Our products and services help accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, and solve analytical challenges ranging from complex research to routine testing to field applications.

For more information, e-mail: analyze@thermofisher.com or view website: www.thermoscientific.com/foodsafety  Refer to page 276