Vaishali Patel, PhD

Food and Drugs Laboratory, Vadodara, Gujarat
Vaishali Patel headshot

Project Goal

Determination of aflatoxin M1 in samples of milk and milk products using an LC-MS/MS system DCs) in terms of amino acid sequence, drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) and post-translational modifications.

The Challenges

  • To ensure the safety of milk and milk products for Indian and global consumers via high-throughput LC-MS/MS-based quality analysis
  • To design a standard workflow with reliable instrumentation, reduce analytical costs and allow more frequent monitoring of mycotoxins in milk
  • To create an accessibility structure for residue limit compliance testing for milk producers, processors, buyers and regulators

The solution

  • The QTRAP® 4500 LC-MS/MS System with Analyst® Software enabled the development of a robust analytical method that can simultaneously detect and quantify a broad number of mycotoxins in milk with low limits of detection and quantification
  • SCIEX QTRAP functionality added another layer of confirmation to substantiate the results of the LC-MS/MS data analysis of the mycotoxins

The outcome

  • Developed and validated a sensitive, robust and reproducible method using the QTRAP® 4500 System to detect aflatoxin M1 in milk and dairy products
  • Incorporation of a compliant software-based standard workflow strengthened the compliance framework for high-throughput monitoring of aflatoxin M1, which is considered a potential risk to human health because of its carcinogenicity
  • Created a singular mechanism to strengthen food safety and enforce regulatory compliance to deal with variable levels of aflatoxin M1 in the milk and dairy products of different countries depending on climate, cattle breeds and nutrition feeding system
  • "The SCIEX team empowered us to achieve our goals in testing excellence via holistic application and service support and catering to our concerns urgently."

Organization

Quality control laboratory for the Government of Gujarat that implements high standards of unbiased and impartial testing and follows Good Laboratory Practices of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules (1945), Food Safety and Standard Act (2006) and ISO/IEC/17025:2017 (E) for the testing of food and drugs items

Goal

SCIEX products

  • QTRAP® 4500 LC-MS/MS System
  • Analyst® Software 1.7
  • MultiQuant™ Software 3.03
  • "We achieved champion food safety and quality compliance through turnkey LC-MS/MS solutions and the augmented scientific capabilities of the team."