Celebrating 50 Years of MS Innovation - MS Technology Roadmap

In recent years, the presence of residual pesticides, microtoxins and fungal poisons has become a major concern in the area of public health. Agricultural chemicals have become subject to stricter regulations, incurring greater demands for simultaneous analysis methods.

Shimadzu’s solutions:

We contribute to these food safety standards by continuously providing new solutions for simultaneous analysis of extremely small quantities of compounds such as pesticides, microtoxins, and aminoglycoside-type antibiotics. We also provide agrochemical screening methods which can be implemented without standard samples.

Since 2012 we have been carrying out collaborative research with Osaka University, developing the world’s first supercritical fluid extraction/chromatography system (SFE-SFC-MS) for residual pesticide analysis. The system exhibits high speed, sensitivity and separation power.

Moreover, in 2015, we established an incorporated association in partnership with Miyazaki Prefecture to analyze the safety of food products, making use of the SFE-SFC-MS.

The public is showing greater interest in functional ingredients that have been shown to have positive health effects, such as dietary fiber, polyphenols, and carotenoids. This has necessitated the development of new methods for simple, rapid and accurate food analysis.

Shimadzu’s solutions:

In 2019, Shimadzu and the National Agricultural Research Organization, established a joint research laboratory for functional analysis of foodstuffs. The joint research aims to establish a method for simultaneous component analysis of functional foods and the development of agricultural products and foods that contribute to health promotion. This will be achieved by applying Shimadzu's latest technology to the analysis of functional ingredients contained in agricultural products developed by the National Agricultural Research Organization in cooperation with local communities.