Since our founding in 1986, CPI International has seen firsthand the importance of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) products when it comes to analyzing chemicals, in terms of both ensuring the safety of products and people and as a means to make products better.
The value of this analytical science process is highlighted in a recent April article by The Independent’s Daisy Dumas entitled “the secret world of the taste makers.” The article details the analysis of Indian foods by a group of employees for Givaudan, a Switzerland-based flavour and fragrance developer (you can read the article here ).
In one part of the article Dumas writes of Klaus Gassenmeier (the head of analytical science for the company’s Europe office) pouring liquid captured from an Indian flat-bread called paratha into a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer so that its molecules could be broken down, giving Gassenmeier “A fingerprint of the food’s aromas,” and thus the opportunity for him and his employees to use their chemical and cooking expertise to produce the paratha’s flavours themselves.
Dumas goes on to state that “Aroma fingerprints of popular foods through GCMS provide the best facsimiles possible of communities’ collective culinary consciences,” and that “There is big business in getting it right.”
The article states that the flavor industry brought in $20 billion in sales for 2009 and that demand for natural flavours is expected to reach 6,551 tons by 2012, while also noting that Givaudan generates $4 billion a year in revenue from its taste and aroma business.
An interesting read, Dumas’ piece underscores the value of GC-MS’ as a weapon in the analytical scientists arsenal, as it can not only be used to analyze chemicals in food and beverages, but also fire debris and the atmosphere of Venus.
As an analytical science company, CPI International supplies a wide range of GC-MS products and chromatography products in general, such as electron multipliers, concentrators and column systems in addition to standards and reference materials.
For more information about CPI International’s GC-MS product line and the other analytical science products that we offer, log onto www.cpiinternational.com, or contact marketing manager Adrian Azodi at azodia@cpiinternational.com.
