Testing Facility

LC-MS/MS :


Liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become the method of choice for many analytical applications due to its high selectivity and sensitivity as well as its suitability for a wide range of compounds in various sample matrices. With the legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational applications in Canada and in many States in the US, LC-MS/MS method has been applied for the analyses of pesticides and other toxic chemicals such as mycotoxins to control the quality of the cannabis products and to evaluate the risk of human exposure.
In LC-MS/MS, target analytes in a sample were first separated from each other and from potential interfering components by liquid chromatography (LC) and then identified and quantified by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) as compared with reference standards.

GCMS/MS & GC-FID (Agilent Series) :


Gas Chromatography – Mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) is a highly sensitive technique for detection and quantification of organic molecules. The system is finding application in pharmaceuticals, foods and environmental analysis.
Our laboratory is equipped with a Agilent GC-MS/MS. We have an Agilent G3440B series GCMSMS which provides unparalleled sensitivity for the detection of toxins and pesticides residues.
The GC-MS/MS system is equipped with GC-FID detector for analysis of Toxics Dioxane, Residual, pesticides and cholesterol in agricultural samples and food samples, such milk, honey, grapes etc.

We use the GCMS-MS system for the following :

• Pesticide residue analysis in food, Water and environmental samples
• Identification of unknown volatile and semi-volatile organics in pharmaceutical drug products and substances using GC- MS/MS
• Chiral analysis of amino-acid composition of protein samples
• Impurity profiling in pesticides
• Identification of unknown compounds by library matching in the NIST MS library
• Method development
• Method Validation

High Performance Liquid Chromatography :

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is an essential analytical tool in any testing lab as it affords separation and quantification of a variety of analytes which are thermally labile and not volatile enough for analysis on gas chromatograph.
We have 2 HPLC instruments from Jasco and Agilent G7111B with cobra cell equipped with a variety of detectors. The number of instruments is indicative of the utility of the technique in the laboratory.
The different modes and choice of detectors permit analysis of wide range of samples, and we have the following detectors available in our testing laboratories –
• Diode Array Detector
• Refractive index (RI) detector
• Photo diode array detector (PDA)
• Fluorescence detector
The HPLCs in our testing lab are equipped with auto-samplers AS-4050 for 24×7 operation and higher accuracy and precision. This enables us to provide reliable results and lowest turnaround time (TAT).

The large variety of stationary phases available make it one of the most versatile techniques and it can be used for the analysis of molecules like :
• Small molecules
• Semi polar molecules by reverse phase chromatography
• Macro-molecules by Gel permeation chromatography
• Polar molecules in Cyano or Amino colums and Ion pairing chromatography
• Nonpolar molecules using Silica of C1-C4 & C18 colums
HPLC is used in our testing to analyze products from the following industries –
• Pharmaceuticals
• Foods
• Fine chemicals
• Colors and dyes
• Bio molecules and
• Environmental analysis
• and many more
We routinely carry out the following analysis on HPLC –
• Assay of drugs products and formulations
• Impurity profiling of pharmaceuticals
• Quantification of Vitamins
• Estimation of caffeine
• Estimation of sugar
• Estimation of Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin
• Estimation of Antioxidant
• Estimation of coloring agent
• Estimation of Antibiotic (Histamine)
• Method development
• Method validation

INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA OPTICAL EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY (ICP-OES) ::

Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) based analytical techniques can provide quantitative bulk elemental composition of a wide variety of sample types, including powders, solids, liquids, and suspensions. This technique is especially powerful for quantitative chemical analysis when standards are not available.

Technical Specifications Detector : Dark detector
Sample Size Requirement : 250 mg to 1 gram of solid sample; typical solution volumes range from 2 -10 mL

Ideal Uses :
• Precise and accurate determination of major and minor elements in a wide range of materials.
• Quality control and process control, and research and development.
• Aesenic, Selenium, Mercury, Antimony by ICP-OES MSIS.

Typical Detection Limits :
• Parts per billion in solution.
• Sodium, Potassium, Aluminium, Calcium, Boron, Barium, Iron, Copper, Manganese Zinc, Cadmium, Cromium, lead Zinc by ICP-one neb nebulizer.
• Analysis of metals and minerals in Food as well as agriculture products.
• Analysis of metals and minerals in drinking and waste water.
• Analysis of metals and minerals in pharmaceutical product.

Our Strengths :
• A range of elements can be measured in a single analysis cycle.
• The useful linear dynamic range is over several orders of magnitude.
• The use of a quartz-free sample introduction system enables determination of low levels of Silicon and Boron.
• The analysis can be automated, enhancing accuracy, precision and sample throughput.

UV spectrophotometer :

It refers to absorption spectroscopy or reflectance spectroscopy in the ultraviolet-visible spectral region. UV/Vis spectroscopy is routinely used in analytical chemistry for the quantitative determination of different analytes, such as transition metal ions, highly conjugated organic compounds, and biological macromolecules. Our laboratory is equipped with UV- visible spectrophotometer, Lab India UV-VIS 1800+ and Shimadzu UV-VIS 3000+.

Applications:
• Analysis of Phenol, total Phosphate, Silica, Nitrite Ion, etc. in water sample.
• Quantification of drug in formulation and API by either of the method

1. Calibration curve method.
2. Simultaneous multicomponent method.
3. Difference spectrophotometric method.
4. Derivative spectrophotometric method.

• Detection of Impurities
• Dissociation constants of acids and bases.
• Molecular weight determination

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) :

Infrared spectroscopy is used widely in both research and industry as a simple and rapid technique for measurement and quality control in both organic and inorganic analysis. In contrast to the relatively few absorption peaks observed in UV-VIS region for most compounds, the infrared spectrum provides a rich array of absorption bands.
Our lab is well equipped with Schimadzu Affinity-1S.
With the developments in interferometer designs and electronics FT-IR spectroscopy has emerged as a technique that in a true sense provides a fingerprint of materials in a matter of seconds.
We are equipped with Schimadzu Affinity-1S. in our laboratory. The instrument is extensively used in analysis pharmaceuticals, chemical, polymers, foods and mineral oils in water samples.

Brookfield Viscometer with Helipath small sample adapter :

A viscometer (also called viscosimeter) is an instrument used to measure the viscosity of a fluid. For liquids with viscosities which vary with flow conditions, an instrument called a rheometer is used.
There are several models of viscometer available from Brookfield but the majority operate in the same manner: the viscometer motor rotates the spindle at a defined speed (measured in rpm) or shear rate and the viscometer measures the resistance to rotation and reports a viscosity value.

Our Lab is equipped with modern DV2T Touch Screen Viscometer with the following features and benefits.
• 5-inch full color, touch screen display supports multiple languages
• Small sample adapter enable viscosity determination with small volume of preparation like 10 gm or 10 ml.
• Displayed info includes: viscosity (cP/mP•s), temperature (°C/°F), shear rate/stress, % torque, spindle/speed, step program status
• Enhanced Security provides enhanced security with customizable user levels & password access to comply with regulatory requirements.
• Built-In options include timed tests, data averaging, programmable QC limits/alarms, customizable speed/spindle lists, on screen data comparison
• Auto range shows maximum viscosity measured with any spindle/speed combination
• USB PC interface provides optional computer control and automatic data gathering capability Download custom test programs with included PG Flash software
• Front-facing bubble level for convenient viewing
• Built-in temperature probe
• Accuracy of ±1.0% of range with displayed test data
• Repeatability of ±0.2%
• NIST traceable viscosity standards available

Dissolution Tester :

In the pharmaceutical industry, drug dissolution testing is routinely used to provide critical in vitro drug release information for both quality control purposes, i.e., to assess batch-to-batch consistency of solid oral dosage forms such as tablets, and drug development, i.e., to predict in vivo drug release profiles.
The main objective of developing and evaluating an IVIVC is to establish the dissolution test as a surrogate for human studies, as stated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Analytical data from drug dissolution testing are sufficient in many cases to establish safety and efficacy of a drug product without in vivo tests. Thus, the dissolution testing which is conducted in dissolution apparatus must be able to provide accurate and reproducible results.

Labindia Dissolution Tester : DS 8000 is designed for efficient volumetric accuracy. This instruments has following Key features-
• Advanced micro controller based user friendly state-of-the-art product design with alphanumeric splash waterproof polyester soft keys. User interactive software in dialogue mode for ease of operation with protection against invalid entries
• Conical shaped low evaporation recovery lids on the tablet dispenser reduces the media loss during long dissolution run
• Mono shaft design allows easy changeover between Apparatus I & II thus eliminates the routine height validation check per USP
• Apparatus for Intrinsic test & Stationary basket methods are also available
• Tablet Dispenser drops 08 dosage form at single instance
• Bionet Locking aids in easy placement & locking of vessels. Once placed, vessels does not float when empty
• Non-Volatile Memory storage of 15 methods with parameter
• GLP Complaint report format with Alphanumeric entries of Sample name & identification number for authentication
• RS 232C Interface for PC connectivity & Parallel port for printer.