Pittcon and Presenting Product Testing!

Pickering Laboratories exhibited at the 67th Pittcon annual conference, which was held March 5-9 in Chicago this year. Pittcon is the leading exhibition for laboratory science and new technology in food safety, life science and emerging markets.  As we have for the last 30 years, Pickering Laboratories exhibited as the leader in Post-Column applications and technology.

As perhaps an unexpected addition, we splashed Pittcon with the introduction of our Pickering Test Solutions product line.  The varied audience of Pittcon was ideal for the diverse applications of our product testing solutions and we received a warm reception.  Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth for more information!

To celebrate our artificial perspiration Pittcon debut, we worked up a sweat by raffling a Fitbit Flex twice daily.  (Congratulations again to the winners of the Fitbits!)  Our sweat themed giveaways of exercise towels and workout headbands made a nice complement to our classic post-column rulers, and overall we felt we informed and entertained our fellow attendees.

As mentioned, the Pickering Test Solutions product line was of active interest to many of the Pittcon attendees. Among the industries interested in these product test solutions were: tobacco, electronics, surgical instruments, materials science, pharmaceutical dissolution testing and others.

Our product testing solutions include:

  • Artificial Perspiration
  • Artificial Saliva
  • Artificial Urine
  • Artificial Sebum
  • Artificial Cerumen

If you don’t see what you need, just ask!  Customer requests for specific regulation or standard formulations of an artificial body fluid often result in new additions to the product line. We also produce numerous proprietary formulations that are custom made for our customers’ in-house needs, which you won’t find in our publicly available catalog.

Our core post-column business is still going strong.  New and highlighted applications included:

  • Theanine in Tea
  • Glyphosate in Foods
  • Carbamates in Foods
  • Formaldehyde
  • Amino Acids in Pharmacopoeia 8.0

Glyphosate testing is a major focus of our research initiatives this year as the activity surrounding Glyphosate worldwide has increased. The application note MA 211 Glyphosate Analysis in Foods  addresses concerns that Glyphosate has been found in the finished food products available to consumers, and corresponding to media attention resulting in the FDA considering testing for Glyphosate in finished foods.

Pickering Laboratories is an active participant in the AOAC method development and has been for many years. Our latest collaboration MA 378 Analysis of L-Theanine in Tea by HPLC with Post-Column Derivatization was approved by the Expert Review Panel as an AOAC First Action Official Method for the analysis of Theanine.  The method can be implemented by laboratories for analysis of a wide range of complex green tea-containing dietary supplements in forms of powders, tablets, tinctures, gelcaps, softgels and capsules. This official method has been published in the Journal of AOAC International.

We always enjoy visiting with our customers, distributors and other Pittcon attendees though the show.  Thank you again for your visits and for your business over the years!