Elemental Analysis, Separation Science, And Metallography News By LECO

Unlike the detailed list of nutritional requirements for human food, pet food in North America must only report on four main values in their Guaranteed Analysis on the label: protein, fat, fiber, and moisture. Additional nutrients must be included if they are called out specifically on the label, but manufacturers can also voluntarily add more nutrients to provide consumers with more information or further demonstrate the nutritional value of their products. One voluntary "nutrient" that shows up with surprising frequency in these lists is actually "Ash". But ash in the analysis doesn't actually mean ash is in the food. Rather, it explains the process by which mineral content is determined.

While plant-based proteins have been part of humanity's diet for centuries, it wasn't until the advent of the original textured vegetable protein (TVP) in the 1960s that it started becoming a viable replacement for animal-based protein sources in more mainstream diets. The first commercially available plant-based proteins would not be mistaken for animal-based protein sources and were largely of interest only to vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians. 

The world of GC-MS applications is constantly expanding, growing into novel applications and improving classical uses. To celebrate the advancements of this powerful technology, LECO and The Analytical Scientist created an eBook that takes a look at some of the emerging uses of GC-MS. From measuring volcanic emissions to predict eruptions to developing the ultimate untargeted technique with GCxGC-MS, these articles explore a variety of topics.

Analysing animal feed samples for moisture and ash content can be a tedious and time-consuming task for labs and companies in the food and feed industry. However, with LECO's TGA801, this process can be streamlined and automated to save time and reduce manual labor.

Pet ownership has increased over the last few years, when an explosive boom during the COVID-19 lockdowns showing no signs of stopping. Over 70% of American households have at least one pet, with most of those homes having at least one cat or dog. As pet ownership continues to rise, so too does the demand for pet food.

In 2013, as the eastern span replacement of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was drawing to a close, 277 vertical steel rods to improve the seismic stability of the replacement were tested under tension using three-inch-diameter bolts. Within two weeks, 32 of the steel rods had snapped. 277 of these rods were used in the $6.5 billion construction project, but only 96 were accessible. Metal testing suggested hydrogen embrittlement during the manufacturing of the rods may have caused the failures. Thankfully, this was able to be corrected before the bridge opened, but it was a major setback in the construction.

Source: hpconstruction.co.uk / jewelleryfocus.co.uk

Dr. Belen Morales, Head of Analytical Services talked with LECO about how the Sheffield Assay Office serves its customers, the technologies and types of analysis employed to meet the clients' requirements, the scope of treated sample range, and the role LECO is playing in this context.

Once more expensive than gold, aluminum has not lost its value over the years, only its price tag. Thanks to revolutionary methods of production largely developed in the late 1800s, the price of aluminum dropped from $34 an ounce in 1852 ($1,276 in 2022 dollars) to just $0.09 an ounce today. As a low-density, high-strength, corrosion-resistant metal, aluminum's usefulness has led to incredible consumption in many industries from transportation to packaging.

In this application note, you will learn how the combination of GC×GC and HRTOFMS resulted in excellent quantitative PCP data.

Household dust is a repository of hazardous compound accumulation and therefore an important indicator of chemical exposure.

Does automated hardness testing software really provide that much of an advantage over manual methods? LECO's Cornerstone-based AMH55 system takes the human variance out of the process, making it fast, precise, and accurate, but just how much variance is actually involved? LECO decided to put it to the test, pitting seven humans of varying metallographic experience against the AMH55.