7 Oct 2024

Pesticide residue is one of the major food safety issues in the South East Asian countries. The analytical community of this region often faces diverse challenges in implementing validated residue analytical methods for food testing to comply with the national and international MRLs.

At the AOAC SEA 3rd Annual Conference in Manila, Philippines on 16-17 October 2024, AOAC SEA and the Minor Use Foundation proudly host a Breakout Session on “Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives on Managing Pesticide Residues in Culinary Herbs and Spices.”

Stakeholders and experts will share their experiences and discuss challenges in analytical methods for key Culinary Herbs and Spices commodities and the higher level impact of un-harmonized methods in establishing CODEX MRL and international trade.

The Breakout Session on the 2024 Student Award Presentation focuses on "Promoting Analytical Excellence in Food Safety and Quality in Academia by Supporting Young Scientists." This initiative is led by the Training of Young Scientists Working Group (ToYS WG), which aims to establish programs across Southeast Asian countries to develop, train, encourage, support, and recognize young scientists.

In 2022, the program awarded three Student Awards and one Student Travel Award to students in food safety and analytical science. In 2023, it expanded to grant Travel Awards to 12 students from seven countries for a poster competition in Vietnam, with three winning the Best Student Poster Award. This year, six top students are being offered Student Awards, highlighting the achievements of young scientists and fostering collaboration and innovation in food safety and quality.

PFAS Analysis in Food and Food Contact Materials

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic compounds widely used in various industrial applications, including food packaging and food contact materials (FCMs), due to their resistance to heat, water, and oil. Reliable and fit-for-purpose analytical methods for detecting, identifying, and quantifying PFAS in food and FCMs are crucial for assessing exposure, potential sources of contamination, and regulatory compliance.

AOAC INTERNATIONAL has established a comprehensive PFAS initiative aimed at addressing these method needs and related analytical challenges. The first accomplishment of this initiative is the development of AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs) for PFAS in produce, beverages, dairy products, eggs, seafood, meat products, and feed (AOAC SMPR 2023.003).

One of the most difficult questions tackled by the AOAC working group during this SMPR development involved consensus on target limits of quantification (LOQs), which was solved by targeting different LOQs for PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, and PFHxS EU-regulated matrices vs. other matrices) and for other PFAS.

Register for the conference to learn more, https://www.aoac-sea.org/events/2024-aoac-sea-3rd-annual-conference-in-philippines/.

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