Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed two analytical screening methods to detect petroleum contamination in oysters and fish, resulting from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The new methods specifically detect hydrocarbons and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Scientists working at Thermo Fisher Scientific's Food Safety Response Center located in Dreieich, Germany, used oil samples collected from the Gulf of Mexico region to develop step-by-step testing procedures that can be quickly implemented by food and environmental laboratories, with the goal of protecting consumers from potentially contaminated seafood found in gulf waters.
Marc N Casper, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, said: 'We created our global Food Safety Response Center to help our laboratory customers around the world quickly mobilise during a food contamination crisis, using our depth of capabilities to develop methods that enable them to respond to potential threats.
'Our new methods for detecting petroleum in oysters and fish were designed to significantly reduce analysis time and enable our customers to meet the demand for the rapid and reliable testing of seafood from the Gulf [of Mexico] for the foreseeable future,' he added.
The new methods are detailed in standard operating procedure (SOP) documents available to any government agency, company or laboratory.
The methods have been provided to AOAC International and the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN).
Thermo Fisher will present a webcast on the detection of petroleum contamination in seafood and the use of the new methods on 27 July 2010 at 11:00.
