Detect hormones in food in fifteen minutes

Both natural hormones, those produced by the body of any animal, and synthetic hormones, those created artificially, should not appear in products for human consumption, as they can cause health problems related to fertility or growth.

For this reason, the industry and the authorities look for reliable methods that guarantee that the products that reach the markets are safe. Hence, the scientific community tries to improve the technology used for this work, with the aim of reducing costs for companies, having less impact on the environment and increasing the accuracy of the analyzes that are carried out.

Some scientists, from the Linares Scientific and Technological Campus of the University of Jaén in Spain, have designed a new method of chemical analysis aimed at food companies that is cheaper and faster. With the method that these scientists propose, companies will not need additional investment to carry out the new analyses. In addition, this methodology is more accurate and precise compared to others used up to now to monitor the concentration of hormones at the permitted levels in meat and fish. The system offers results in as little as fifteen minutes and with a very reduced volume of solvents. On the other hand, it is more respectful with the environment than those of habitual use

The system has been validated for thirteen different hormones in products marketed in Spain from eight different countries.

The new method does not use solvents such as methanol, highly polluting and frequently used in this type of analysis.

One of the main advantages of the new method is the elimination of impurities that food extracts usually contain during their analysis and the significant increase in the sensitivity in the determination of hormones. This results in greater reliability of the results. “The study’s conclusions confirm that hormone residue levels ranging between 0.4 and 15 nanograms per kilogram are detected in meat and fish samples, which far exceeds the sensitivity of other existing methods,” he told the Foundation. Discover the researcher at the University of Jaén Evaristo Ballesteros, co-author of the study and coordinator of the scientific work.

In addition, he adds that when the model is applied at an industrial level, it does not imply an extra investment for companies that develop their own analyzes or for laboratories dedicated to quality control of this type of food, since it only involves the extraction of hormones and the method for its determination. Reducing times also leads to energy savings.

Research team members. (Photo: Discover Foundation / University of Jaén)

The method was successfully used to determine natural and synthetic hormones, including estrogens, androgens, and progestins in meat and fish products from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Greece, Norway, Morocco, and the United States, confirming that all samples met the requirements. recommended maximum concentration levels for these substances.

The methods most frequently used for this type of analysis are based on the use of high volumes of solvents with a greater negative impact on the environment, such as methanol. In addition, the processes are slower and more inaccurate by requiring manually controlled dosing of liquid by a laboratory technician.

The new process begins with mixing the sample with a very small volume of a solvent called acetonitrile-water for the extraction of the hormones. Subsequently, it is purified in a continuous solid phase extraction system. This system contains a semiautomatic absorbent column where the substances are retained, discarding the rest of the sample, as if it were a microscopic particle strainer. They are then efficiently separated and detected using a technique called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which quantifies the hormone content.

The main problem in this type of sample is the high content of proteins, lipids and fatty acids that they contain and that make it difficult to extract the hormones. With this method, impurities are removed so that only the substances under analysis are available for processing by the chromatograph. Thus, they obtain more exact and precise results.

On the other hand, being a semi-automatic method, the analysis is carried out in less time and without the need for continuous control by the laboratory technician. In this way, greater efficiency is achieved in the accuracy of the results and more efficiency, both energy, economic, technical and environmental.

Evaristo Ballesteros and his colleagues continue to investigate the detection of hormones in other areas, such as water and in other types of food other than meat and fish products, with the aim of further optimizing the system and making it more functional and versatile.

The Ballesteros team exposes the technical details of their new method in the academic journal Foods, under the title “A Simple, Efficient, Eco-Friendly Sample Preparation Procedure for the Simultaneous Determination of Hormones in Meat and Fish Products by Gas Chromatography—Mass Spectrometry ”. (Source: Discover Foundation)