Kannan Govindan’s Post

🎯 Question: For pesticide residue testing in herbs and spices, would there be a list of methods that are usually used by the governments in their general surveillance and risk monitoring programs? Could this be harmonized across countries?   🎯 Answer: Such list of methods is not available. But our effort here is a part of the answer to the questions.   What we are trying to do today is to start creating a globally recognized and standardized AOAC Official Method that could be used by every country in their monitoring program. AOAC has a key advantage in working with a wide range of stakeholders including regulators, industry, contract research organizations, private laboratories – all who have a stake in the future of official methods for pesticide residue analysis in herbs and spices.   What we need is YOUR help to identify PRIORITIES of pesticide residues to include in the scope of a future Official Method for herbs and spices. We also need financial support to acquire Reference Standards for validation, run Expert Panels, and maintain operational activities of the non-profit organizations leading this standard development.   Just as important as developing official methods, AOAC can run capacity building programs to help public and private laboratories deal with challenges in analyzing pesticide residues in herbs and spices, share best practices and avoid false results.   -- ❤️ The AOAC Virtual Work Session on Pesticide Residue Analysis in Herbs and Spices ended with the above Q&A. We would like to thank all the attendees for their consistent interests and engagement. We notice that some could not attend the work session due to last minute registrations and time zone differences; we will email all the registrants the presentations in the next couple of days.

Is Adjuvant Toxic for Bees?🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 Adjuvants are chemicals commonly added to pesticide formulations to enhance their effectiveness and help the pesticide stick to plants or other surfaces. Some adjuvants are toxic to bees, while others are less harmful. Some adjuvants, particularly those that are petroleum-based, can be toxic to bees because they can disrupt the bees' nervous system or other biological processes. Other adjuvants, such as some crop oil concentrates, can harm bees because they can cause physical damage to the bees' wings and other structures. This can impair the bees' ability to fly and forage, ultimately leading to colony failure. Some of the most used adjuvants that are toxic to bees include: Organosilicon surfactants - these are often used in insecticides and fungicides and can penetrate the cuticle of bees, disrupting their nervous system. Crop oil concentrates - these can cause physical damage to bees' wings and other structures, impairing their ability to fly and forage. Glyphosate-based herbicides - glyphosate is the active ingredient in many herbicides, and some formulations contain adjuvants that are toxic to bees. Neonicotinoid insecticides - while not technically adjuvants, neonicotinoid insecticides are often combined with adjuvants and are highly toxic to bees. Some adjuvants are safer for bees than others. Here are a few examples: Citric acid is a natural adjuvant derived from citrus fruit and is often used in herbicides and other pesticide formulations. It is generally considered to be safe for bees. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a water-soluble polymer sometimes used as an adjuvant in pesticide formulations. PEG is relatively safe for bees, although some evidence shows that it can cause behavioral changes in bees at high concentrations. Mineral oil is a petroleum-based adjuvant sometimes used in insecticides and fungicides. While it can harm bees at high concentrations, it is generally considered safer for bees than some other petroleum-based adjuvants. Vegetable oils - some vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, can be used as adjuvants in pesticide formulations. These are generally considered to be safe for bees. To minimize the risk of harm to bees, it's essential to carefully follow the label instructions for any pesticide or adjuvant product and to avoid applying pesticides or adjuvants when bees are actively foraging in the area. It's also important to use integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that prioritize using non-chemical control methods whenever possible. Read the article in the HoneyBeesProTech #15  #bees #beekeeper #beekeeping #pollinators #honey #honeybee #honeycomb #honeybees #pollen #beekeepers #beenutrition #beehealth #pollination #beeindustry #organicfarming  #sustainableagriculture #agriculture #organichoney   #organicagriculture #savethebees #agribusiness #agricultureindustry #hives #queenbees #organichoney

The versatility of our QuEChERS sample extraction and cleanup products has led to solutions in analyzing for pharmaceuticals in fresh fish, mycotoxins in beer, and pesticides in dried botanicals. Learn more about how to tailor QuEChERS to meet your specific requirements in this video: https://lnkd.in/ea7nVypA

Stop! You’re Doing It Wrong… Shortly after we, Alkemist Labs Labs added pesticide testing to our suite of services in 2022, we learned that it was common for some third-party labs to leave out testing for two pesticides (inorganic bromide and dithiocarbamates) that required extra testing steps, and advised companies to make sure they were getting the full USP (United States Pharmacopeia) panel. In reviewing our 2023 data, we have discovered that 47 percent of the samples with pesticide levels above the USP <561> limits were for one of the substances often left off routine panels: inorganic bromide. I can try to understand the temptation to leave those out because of the time and processing you need to run it and the expenses incurred as a result. You need to change over the same instrument twice, each time to search for one more analyte, which can take half a day and decrease your bottom line. But given what we are seeing, it’s imperative that companies make sure their labs are doing this screening. Skipping the tests to save a few bucks will only feed the false narratives that we are an unregulated, untested and unsafe industry which is false, mostly false and false… #alkemistlabs #usp #pesticides #checkyourselfbeforeyouwreckyourself