The firm said sample preparation can be labour intensive, involving multiple steps, where each one has the potential to introduce errors and loss of sample.
Disposal of solvents can bring potential increases to cost and impact on the environment, it added.
Intertek will instruct industry peers on the benefits of solventless sample preparation prior to mass spectrometric analysis, during Pittcon 2016 in Georgia (6-10 March).
Using solventless sample preparation such as solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) brings miniaturized sample preparation, combining high-speed analysis, reduced cost and an environmentally friendly operation due to minimal or no solvent consumption, integrated with selective testing.
Dr Gyorgy Vas will train industry delegates from the pharmaceutical, environmental, food, and packaging industries as part of a short course program at Pittcon.
The course will provide examples and best practice for solventless sample preparation and how it can be used to identify and confirm levels of harmful substances in pharmaceutical or food products.
“A strategic approach to solventless sample preparation can achieve highly selective analysis and very low levels of detection in pharmaceuticals which can help to determine if impurities are present which may pose a risk to the patient, whilst offering the benefits of enhanced efficiency in laboratory testing,” said Dr Vas.