New Laboratory in Hamilton, New Zealand
In recent years Agrisearch Analytical has been providing a residues testing service to our New Zealand customers from our Rozelle laboratory.
In striving to provide the best service and value for our NZ customers it was decided that we must establish or own facility in NZ. We now can announce that we have opened a new laboratory in Hamilton. Hamilton, for non-Kiwis, is in the North Island and is close to the most productive areas of dairy, horticulture and vegetables in NZ.
The laboratory will initially cater for the needs of our customers in the regulatory area and will provide a GLP recognised residues testing service in crop protection and animal health. In the future we will expand into product and multi-pesticide surveillance testing but at present these areas will still be concentrated in Australia. NZ Crop Protection and Animal Health companies are happy to have a choice of GLP accredited laboratories in NZ.
Andrew Westcott, Senior Project Chemist for New Zealand has been establishing the laboratory. Andrew relocated from Sydney to Hamilton late in 2010 with his family. Andrew and family are already feeling settled and part of the local community thanks to the friendly folk of Hamilton. Andrew has recently been joined in Hamilton by Project Chemist, SiyuanYang, a very experienced analyst and long-time resident of the North Island.
The Hamilton laboratory has recently received GLP accreditation from IANZ.
The Hamilton laboratory is located at 12-14 Pukete Rd, Hamilton and the phone number is (+64) 7 849 5109. The fax number is(+64) 7 849 6871.
If you have any queries regarding residue testing, GLP studies, or would like a quote for work in New Zealand please contact:
Andrew at andrew_westcott@agrisearchanalytical.com.au
Ross at ross_shields@agrisearchanalytical.com.au
or Susan McKeon at susan_mckeon@agrisearchanaytical.com.au
Andrew Westcott outside the Hamilton Laboratory
Getting Physical in Orange
Our Product Testing Laboratory in Orange is being kept busy with a variety of storage stability studies underway at the moment. Laboratory Technician Jake Chapman has mastered the techniques required to analyse a wide range of products for the physical characteristics that are required by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). Christine Andrews, our laboratory supervisor meanwhile has been occupied with the analysis of these products by liquid Chromatography (LC) and Gas Chromatography (GC) and is using her experience to develop and validate the analytical methods required for these projects.
Christine Andrews, supervisor of Orange Laboratory
All of the storage stability studies carried out at Agrisearch Analytical, Orange are conducted according to the “Guidelines for the Generation of Storage Stability Data of Agricultural Chemical Products” December 2005 and methods are validated according to the “Guidelines for the Validation of Active Constituent, Agricultural and Veterinary Chemical Products” October 2004 as published by the APVMA, Canberra, Australia.
Jake Chapman performing a physical test
By ensuring that the criteria set out in these guidelines are met, our customers can be confident with the analytical data they submit to the APVMA as part of their product registration. For more information on storage stability studies or any other area of product testing contact our Laboratory Manager Susan McKeon by calling (02) 9810 3666 or by email susan_mckeon@agrisearchanalytical.com.au .
The Disappearing Zero & the Waters LC/MS/MS
Animal Health and Crop Protection companies continue to come under increasing scrutiny from Regulators such as the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).
One area where this scrutiny is manifest is with the requirements for reporting residue trials and the continual lowering of detection limits. It is not that long since the APVMA would be satisfied if the Limit of Reporting (LOR) for a residues trial was one-fifth of the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). However, this is no longer the case and in a recent residue study that was recently completed by Agrisearch Analytical the LOR reported was 1/200 of the MRL. The scientific relevance of measuring such minute residues could be questioned but to no avail- regulators everywhere require lower and lower reporting limits.
With this in mind Agrisearch Analytical has recently invested in the Waters Xevo TQS, the latest and most sensitive LC-MS-MS instrument on the market. There are claims that this instrument can detect a fart in the universe! This may be hyperbole but in the opinion of Lan Byrnes our Technical Manager, this is one extremely sensitive mass spectrometer. Agrisearch Analytical will be in a good position to meet the regulator’s demands for lower LOR’s for many years to come.
Technical Manager, Lan Byrnes optimising Xevo TQS parameters with Waters Australia Application Specialist, Brian Walker
Chemists as Chefs
Agrisearch Analytical’s Christmas feast was prepared by our very own Masterchefs. With expert instruction from the Cheeky Food Group chefs we managed to produce our own spectacular - and delicious - Christmas feast.
Considering the experience our analysts have following complex methods of analysis it was amazing how they were taken out of their comfort zone when confronted with a simple recipe! After a champagne cocktail to calm the nerves everyone rose to the occasion. Beautiful dishes of salads, desserts and a wonderful Christmas ham were produced. One of the favourite dishes of the day was a fantastic flambé prawn dish. Our project chemist Fransiska Sanjaya amazed us all with her skills with a frying pan and a bottle of tequila. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful lunch and raised a toast to the continuing success of Agrisearch Analytical in 2011.
Fran flambéing prawns in tequila - with a little help!
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