August 2009, Sunnyvale, CA— Dionex Corporation is pleased to announce the release of its first Global Food Safety brochure (available in print and PDF formats). This brochure provides an overview of the issues surrounding food safety, a breakdown of the various contaminant types from agricultural chemical contaminants to environmental, sample preparation solutions for the contaminants, and analytical solutions provided by Dionex

Food contamination can originate from agricultural sources (pesticides and animal growth hormones), environmental sources (water and air pollutants), and food production processes (contamination or adulteration). Food contaminants can cause effects ranging from mild rashes and light headaches to serious and even fatal illnesses as in the case of the melamine adulteration.

Food contaminant analysis poses several challenges: the contaminant must be isolated from the food matrix before it can be analyzed; the correct separation technique, medium, and mobile phase/gradient must be identified, depending on the suspected contaminants; and, finally, a detection method sensitive to the suspected contaminants must be used.

Using Dionex technology and solutions many of these food contaminants can be extracted and identified reliably and quickly. Dionex works with industry and regulatory agencies to develop extraction, sample preparation, IC, and HPLC solutions for the determination of a broad range of food contaminants.

Dionex (NASDAQ:DNEX) is a global leader in the manufacturing and marketing of liquid chromatography and extraction systems, consumables, and software for chemical analysis. The company's systems are used worldwide in environmental analysis and by the life sciences, chemical, petrochemical, food and beverage, power generation, and electronics industries. Our expertise in applications and instrumentation helps analytical scientists to evaluate and develop pharmaceuticals, establish environmental regulations, and produce better industrial products.