TheFormula_Volume_17_Iissue_1_web

DECEMBER, 2017
MID-CANADA AOAC
HTTP://MIDCANADAAOAC.ORG VOLUME 17 ISSUE 1

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P4 MARK DALMAIJER P6 TOM NOWICKI P9 JAMIE PETRACHEK
CONTENTS
Cover: The University of Winnipeg
Richardson College for the
Environmental and Science Complex,
the new site of Mid-Canada AOAC
Scientific Gathering for 2018
This state-of-the-art building located at
599 Portage Avenue is The University
of Winnipeg's new home science,
sustainability initiatives and
community learning programs,
attracting leading researchers from
around the world to Winnipeg.
Students and faculty alike engage in
cutting-edge research in biology,
chemistry, environmental studies,
Indigenous science and the social
sciences in one of the most energy
efficient educational buildings in
North America.
The complex itself is a model of green
building technology, with recycled
materials and a tree-filled atrium, and
labs with state-of-the-art energy
efficiency and heat recovery
system.This signature building is
possible because of generous support
from the Government of Canada,
Government of Manitoba, Richardson
Firm, Family and Foundation and
other generous donors.
4. Editor Editor’s Note
My background in biochemistry and previous scientific publication in Frontiers in Microbiology will
help me meet the challenges of these positions.
4. President Message
This Year I have a privilege of serving the Mid-Canada AOAC community. We will be hard at work
to bring another year of excellent workshops and programs to the scientific community in
Mid-Canada.
5. Testing for PCBs in Oil at Manitoba Hydro
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of chemicals produced from the 1920s to the
1960s. In the late 1960s, production decreased and in 1979 manufacture and sale was
prohibited in North America.
8. 2018 Manitoba Schools Science Symposium
Mid-Canada AOAC has supported MSSS since 1991. Over the past 27 years, countless
numbers of Mid-Canada AOAC members have judged at the MSSS. 8 Science News
9. News
10. Report from AOAC International Meeting
This is an excellent opportunity for anyone involved with field and lab work, to meet with
peers, speak with a huge number of poster-session authors, and take time with vendors.
12. What is new for Mid-Canada AOAC 29 th Scientific Symposium
I am pleased to announce that big changes are coming for AOAC Day 2018! Make sure to
mark your calendars, this year AOAC Day is April 25th.
14. Our Corporate Members
15. Executive Members
We are looking forward to this year’s symposium and encourage you to join us as an executive
member or volunteering your time. We can do more together
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Editor’s Note
CirculaCon
By adverCsing in the Mid-Canada AOAC’s
newsleTer Formula your message is
delivered to each of the organizaCons
members who study and work in areas of
research such as analyCcal chemistry and
microbiology.
If the goal of your adverCsement is to
extend your reach into the analyCcal
chemistry community, this bulleCn is an
ideal medium to deliver your message as it
is distributed free to the organizaCon’s
450+ members.
Editor: Marie-Josee Nadeau
Co-Editor: Ramin Vakili
Graphics & Layout: Ramin Vakili
AdverCsing in Formula:
Rates
Member
Full-page $315 $441
Half-page $189 $285
Quarter-page $144 $222
Short course lisCng
Non-member
$10/column inch
Deadline for submission of adverCsements
for April 15 publicaCon is Sunday, April
10th, 2018 for Dec 15 publicaCon.
Contact InformaCon
For more informaCon to request further
informaCon regarding adverCsing rates,
specificaCon, digital requirements, or
submission guidelines please contact:
Marie-Josée Nadeau
Email: formula@midcanadaaoac.org
Ramin Vakili
Email: r.vakili@uwinnipeg.ca
hTps://twiTer.com/aoacday
hTps://www.instagram.com/mcaoac/
hTps://www.linkedin.com/in/mid-canadaaoac-a3026b139/
My name is Marie-Josee Nadeau
and I have the pleasure of
working with the Mid-Canada
AOAC this year as producCon
editor and administraCve
assistant. Being new to both
posiCons, I’ve been able to start
with a fresh perspecCve. My
background in biochemistry and
previous scienCfic publicaCon in
FronCers in Microbiology will help me
meet the challenges of these posiCons. This
has been in line with some of the big changes being made to
the Mid-Canada AOAC this year. Firstly, the venue of the April
2018 conference has been changed from the Victoria Inn to the
University of Winnipeg Richardson College for the
Environment. Secondly, we’ve decided to revamp The Formula
bulleCn to a more sleek and sophisCcated design that beTer
reflects the AOAC.
E Mail: formula@midcanadaaoac.org
President Message . . .
This Year I have a privilege of
serving the Mid-Canada AOAC
community. We will be hard
at work to bring another
year of excellent workshops
and programs to the scienCfic
community in Mid-Canada. Number
of new changes will be coming to
our scienCfic symposium. New
venue and new structure to keep up
with the expectaCon of our
community.
I also would like to welcome Marie-
Josee Nadeau as our new
producCon editor for Formula.
Formula will be your gateway to
communicate with other members.
Our corporate members to showcase
products and news with our members. If you
interested in contribuCng to formula, simply
contact Marie-Josee.
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TesCng for PCBs in Oil at Manitoba Hydro
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of chemicals
produced from the 1920s to the 1960s. In the late 1960s,
producCon decreased and in 1979 manufacture and sale was
prohibited in North America. In North America, Monsanto,
under the trademark Aroclor, produced the vast majority of
PCBs, contribuCng to about half of all PCBs world-wide. Many
other countries also produced PCBs, including Italy (Caffaro),
France (Protolec), Japan (Kanegafuchi Chemical Co.), and
Germany (Bayer). Due to their excellent dielectric and heat
dissipaCon properCes, PCBs were commonly used in electrical
equipment and are sCll found as a contaminant in some
electrical equipment.
Nearly all labs follow test method ASTM D4059 for tesCng
PCBs in oil; this method is specific to the trade named
Monsanto Aroclor PCB formulaCons and uClizes GC/ECD for
tesCng. Canadian regulaCons are specific about which PCBs
are classified as toxic and regulated; tesCng by ASTM D4059
cannot, strictly-speaking, report PCBs to the definiCon found
in the regulaCons. Environment Canada defines PCBs as
“Chlorobiphenyls that have the molecular formula
C12H(10-n)Cln in which “n” is greater than 2” (Canadian
Environmental ProtecCon Act, 1999). In other words, total
PCBs is the sum of tri- to decachlorobiphenyls. In the United
States, total PCBs is defined as the sum of tri- to
decachlorobiphenyls plus 5% of the monochlorobiphenyls and
20% of the dichlorobiphenyls.
Manitoba Hydro has always reported PCBs as Aroclors. Since
2002, the analysis of PCBs has been done using GC/MS-MS in
place of GC/ECD. The use of GC/MS-MS ensures no
false-posiCve and false-negaCve results are generated and
allows for a lower detecCon limit compared to GC/ECD.
Environment Canada regulaCon SOR/2008-273 requires that
oil contain less than 2 ppm PCBs. Manitoba Hydro has an oil
processing unit that decontaminates PCB containing oil in
order to reduce, and eventually eliminate, PCBs in our
electrical equipment. In this regard, Manitoba Hydro is a
leader among Canadian uCliCes. That being said, Manitoba
Hydro has long recognized that the PCB decontaminaCon
method generates PCBs which do not match an Aroclor
paTern and that convenConal Aroclor-calibraCon methods
cannot quanCfy PCBs accurately. As a result, Manitoba Hydro
Chemical Lab Services has developed and validated a new
Mark Dalmaijer
method to test for PCB homologues in order to accurately
quanCfy non-Aroclor PCBs.
The new PCB test method is based on Environment Canada
RM/31, using GC/MS to quanCfy homologues of PCBs. Minor
modificaCons to Environment Canada’s RM/31method have
been made to streamline and automate the test method so
that the cost for PCB tesCng remains low. PCBs are tested by
placing 0.100mL oil in a glass tube; PCBs are separated from
the oil by liquid/liquid parCConing of trimethylpentane and
dimethylsulfoxide and then by using Solid Phase ExtracCon
(SPE) to clean an aliquot of the dimethylsulfoxide solvent.
PCBs are eluted from the SPE cartridge using
trimethylpentane. A Gilson GX-271 has been configured to
automaCcally perform liquid/liquid parCConing, SPE cleanup,
and transfer of the extract to an autosampler vial. Analysis of
sample extract is performed on a Bruker Scion Triple
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Quadrupole Mass Spectrometers equipped with CTC GCPal
autosampler. Manitoba Hydro tests about 5,000 oil samples per
year; this preparaCon technique and use of these analyCcal
instruments provides the required capacity for one Lab
Technician to test nearly all our oil samples for PCBs.
for the scrap steel; when scrapped as PCB-containing,
Manitoba Hydro pays a premium to ship and decontaminate
the unit before it can be scrapped. Since experimentally
confirming that many scrapped transformers currently
reported as PCB-containing are actually PCB-free, according to
Environment Canada RM/31 PCB by homologue test method,
Manitoba Hydro will see significant savings on scrapping
equipment once the method change is implemented.
The new Manitoba Hydro Chemical Lab Services PCB by
homologue test method is now accredited to the ISO 17025
standard. TesCng of all Manitoba Hydro’s PCB samples by the
new method will begin January 2018.
Manitoba Hydro’s Chemical Lab Services is comprised of a team
of 18 Chemists/Specialists, Lab Technicians and administraCve
staff who analyze water, air, bulk building materials, lubricaCng
oil, insulaCng oil, and soil for a wide variety of parameters. In
addiCon, Chemical Lab Services also provides environmental
sampling and industrial hygiene project support and chemical
consulCng services to Manitoba Hydro.
The PCB decontaminaCon process uses metallic sodium,
ethylene glycol and heat to strip chlorine atoms from the
biphenyl molecule. In 2015, Chemical Lab Services studied the
effect of the current calibraCon model and experimentally
confirmed that the Aroclor calibraCon method can generates a
very highly biased result for processed oil samples. The
decontaminated oil is further processed so that the PCB
concentraCon in the oil is less than 2 ppm auer which the oil is
deemed PCB-free and placed back in service. Since Manitoba
Hydro has decontaminated well over 30 million litres of oil in
the last 30 years, accurate quanCtaCon of PCBs is necessary.
By; Mark Dalmaijer, Technical Supervisor – Manitoba Hydro
Chemical Lab Services.
Transformers eventually reach their end of life and are
scrapped. When scrapped as PCB-free, Manitoba Hydro is paid
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2018 MANITOBA SCHOOLS SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM
2018 Manitoba Schools Science Symposium
As a member of the Manitoba scientific
community, please give serious consideration to
sharing your expertise and experience with
Manitoba’s scientists of tomorrow by volunteering
to participate as a judge in the 2018 Manitoba
Schools Science Symposium (MSSS). The 2018
MSSS will take place from Thursday, April 26 to
Sunday, April 29 at the University of Manitoba
Max Bell Centre.
The Mid-Canada AOAC has supported the
MSSS since 1991. Over the past 27 years,
countless numbers of Mid-Canada AOAC
members have judged at the MSSS. Many return
year after year simply because it is a very
re w a rd i n g a n d e n j o y a b l e e x p e r i e n c e .
Mid-Canada AOAC members who have judged
at the MSSS have come from a wide range of
scientific disciplines and a wide range of
positions, from technician to research scientist,
in private industry, academia and government.
Judging at the MSSS is very simple. The first
step is to register and give your preferences with
regard to the scientific fields and age levels
which you would feel most comfortable judging.
Some of the judging will take place on Friday,
April 27, but if this is a problem you can limit your
involvement to the morning of Saturday, April
28th. On Friday night, there will be a dinner for
the judges. It isn’t critical that you attend this, but
for first-time judges it can be very helpful for
finding out the judging category to which you
have been assigned, getting to know your
section leader and the other judges on your
team and for learning about the MSSS. After
dinner, projects are assigned and previewed
without the students being present. Unless you
have a special interest in
looking at all 500 or more
projects, you should be
finished by about 8 p.m.
On Saturday, April 28th,
first-round judging will likely
start at 9:00 am, but it usually
a good idea to arrive before 8:30 a.m.
so that you can grab a coffee and locate your
judging team, read over the judging instructions
and forms and listen to the judges briefing.
First-round judging is when the bronze, silver
and gold medal winners are determined and is
usually completed by noon. This is followed by a
lunch for the judges. The top projects in each
category carry forward to a second-round, which
takes place after lunch. Section leaders usually
handle second-round judging. Judging for the
Mid-Canada AOAC awards will take place in the
morning and may extend into the afternoon if
necessar y and is usually handled by
Mid-Canada AOAC Executive Committee
members.
The medal awards ceremony and special
awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, April
29th. The Mid-Canada AOAC provides special
awards to students behind projects having an
exceptional analytical content. The awards
consist of a plaque and a small cash award.
Information about the MSSS can be found online
at www.msss.mb.ca. You may also register for
judging online. You may also follow MSSS on
other social media: Instagram: @ msss_mb |
Twitter: @ msss_mb | Hashtag: #MSSS2018
Tom Nowicki
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NEWS
Using NMR-based screening for quality and
authenAcity analysis
With food authenCcity
of growing concern,
honey is one of the
foods under increasing
scruCny and its
producCon is now
subject to a number of
regulaCons designed to
ensure authenCcity and
quality. Honey producers
and quality control
laboratories now require increasingly sophisCcated
methods of analysis. Here we explore how nuclear
magneCc resonance (NMR) based screening provides a
cost efficient, complete analysis, which can be used
reliably to ensure the honey that reaches consumers is
‘exactly what it says on the Cn.
hTp://www.theresonance.com/ensuring-your-honey-ispure/
Advances in Bioprocessing Technology Push Limits of Cell Culturing
A novel coaCng developed by a team of Newcastle scienCsts may allow
for large increases in the amounts of cells that can be produced during
cell culturing, in both large and small scale operaCons. Currently, the
number of cells that can be grown in a given cell culture batch is limited
by the surface area of the vessel in which the cells are grown. The novel
coaCng would be applied to cell culture vessels and allow for individual
stromal cells to detach from the from the vessel without the use of
chemical or enzymaCc catalysts, resulCng in more space for growing
cells to conCnue replicaCng. This new technology has the potenCal to
revoluConize industrial scale cell culturing by drasCcally increasing
yields.
Source: hTps://phys.org/news/2017-11-future-cell-culture-
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REPORT FROM AOAC INTERNATIONAL MEETING
Attending the Annual Meeting and exposition of AOAC-International
is an excellent opportunity for anyone involved with field and lab work,
to meet with peers, speak with a huge number of poster-session
authors, and take time with vendors.
The most important event is the meeting with other local Section reps
from around the world. Before the big event, a questionnaire is sent
out. Asking MidCanada peers for input is good, if the designated
attendee is new to how we run our spring AOAC Day. While attending this meeting, you will have
an opportunity to listen to dozens of other reps, and ask questions for an hour or two. By sharing
business cards with the folks you meet here, you can keep on sharing long into the future.
You should consider bringing a poster of your own. If your work is presented, you will find other
folks with questions or information to offer you. I did this on my first visit to AOAC-I.
There are many concurrent technical sessions. Before you go, peruse all the titles, and plan each
day. Like most folks, you can walk from one tech session to another down the hall. The vendor hall
lasts 2 full days of the 4 day event. The morning and afternoon breaks are often held in the vendor
hall, so you can enjoy a snack or coffee. while chatting with the vendor of your choice. You may
find a morning or lunchtime vendor talk on a topic in a field which interests you. These often
include food and the opportunity for lots of questions. They are definitely worth getting up early
for. Unlike my last visit to PittCon, the vendors are mostly relevant to what you do, and you can
walk past every display and talk to most in less than a day.
If you have an interest in the finer points of lab management, there are evening sessions you won't
want to miss. Meet lots of other folks with similar interests, and the AOAC volunteers who put
together the glossy magazines on the topic.
Bring lots of business cards, and work questions. Do your homework and plan for the best
conference you will find next year. For the first time, the 2018 meeting will be in Toronto, so you
need not cross into the USA to attend. AOAC-I offers discounted rooms in the host hotel, or you
can ride the subway from any where in the big city, if you want to save money.
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WHAT IS NEW FOR MID-CANADA AOAC 29 th SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM
Greetings Mid Canada AOAC Members!
I am pleased to announce that big changes are
coming for AOAC Day 2018! Make sure to mark
your calendars, this year AOAC Day is April
25th. Traditionally AOAC day was held in June,
however this time of year proved to be a busy
time for a lot of our members. In order to make
AOAC Day more convenient for all, we have
chosen a date that does not interfere with the
academic calendar for both Post-Secondary and
Primary/ Secondary education. We also ensured
that the new date did not interfere with other
conferences and events taking place in
Winnipeg. Ultimately by changing the date of
our event we aim to increase our member
attendance. We also aim to increase our number
of corporate members, and therefore creating
better vendor and customer relations.
Another change for AOAC Day 2018 is a change
in venue. For many years AOAC Day was held
at the Victoria Inn and Conference Centre. This
year we have booked the Richardson College for
the Environment and Science Complex at the
University of Winnipeg. We are very pleased
and excited about this new venue, holding our
conference in a state- of -the-art science facility
will have immense benefits for our members and
organization.
The Richardson College of the Environment
(RCFE) was constructed in spring of 2011 and is
one of the most energy efficient buildings in
Manitoba. When the building was opened it was
awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Silver certification. In
2015 the building improved and was awarded
JAMIE PETRACHEK
the LEED Gold certification, making it one of the
most energy efficient educational laboratory
facilities in North America. RCFE is one of 108
buildings in Manitoba that have achieved LEED
certification and one of 36 that have attained
gold status. Operating at about half of the
energy of a conventional building, our new
choice of venue will help to decrease our
organizations’ carbon foot print.
The Richardson College of the Environment
(RCFE), is located in the heart of downtown
Winnipeg, and is situated in the downtown
campus of the University of Winnipeg. The
centralized location is beneficial for all our
members, with ample parking and easy public
transit access. Holding our conference at the
University of Winnipeg campus, will also allow for
new opportunities for collaboration with the
Department of Chemistry, Biology and
Environmental Science. We are looking forward
to the new opportunities this unique venue will
bring to our organization.
Our conference will be held in the Power
Corporation of Canada Atrium of Richardson
College. This atrium is an elegant green space
with lots of natural daylight, thanks to the
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numerous double glazed argon filled windows.
The atrium also features nine living fig trees and
a 3,000 square foot wall made from reclaimed
hard maple from old Winnipeg Roller Rink. We
plan to hold our trade show in the atrium, filling it
up with numerous vendor booths. In between
the vendor booths, we plan to place poster
boards, for our annual scientific poster
presentations. We have also planned to have our
coffee and snacks placed close to the vendor
booths and poster boards. It is our goal increase
the mingling between all members. Connected
to the atrium are four classrooms, which have
been booked for our Key Note Speakers and all
other presentations. Additionally we now have
access to lab space, where there is potential to
have new interactive workshops. This unique
layout will be relatively different than the
traditional business conference style that was
seen at the Victoria Inn. Ultimately we hope that
this new layout will allow for more scientific
collaboration and social networking for AOAC
Day.
We are looking forward to these exciting new
changes for AOAC Day 2018 and are excited to
hear feedback from our members!
References:
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Richar
dson-College-at-U-of-W-earns-LEED-Gold-certifi
cation-329816001.html
http://mcs.uwinnipeg.ca
First Annual Manitoba
Chemistry Symposium
May 4-5, 2018
The University of Winnipeg
Richardson College of the Environment
and Science Complex
599 Portage Avenue.
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/about/fast-facts/richar
dson-college.html
http://leed.cagbc.org/LEED/projectprofile_EN.as
px
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MID-CANADA AOAC CORPORATE MEMBERS
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2017/2018 Executives
Ramin Vakili President president@midcanadaaoac.org
Doug Goltz President Elect secretary@midcanadaaoac.org
David Grant Past President vendors@midcanadaaoac.org
David Grant Secretary secretary@midcanadaaoac.org
We are looking forward to
this year’s symposium and
encourage you to join us as
an executive member or
volunteering your time.
We can do more together.
Tom Nowicki Treasurer treasurer@midcanadaaoac.org
Jamie Petrachek Member-at-Large membership@midcanadaaoac.org
Anja Richter Member-at-Large membership@midcanadaaoac.org
Ray Bacala Member-at-Large
Greg Sliva Member-at-Large
Ayana Alipio Member-at-Large
Michelle Holigroski Member-at-Large
Contact Us:
Brian Asher
Jules Carlson
Member-at-Large
Member-at-Large
membership@midcanadaaoac.org
Mid-Canada AOAC
PO Box 46091 Westdale PO
6670 Roblin Blvd
Winnipeg, MB R3R 3S3
+1.204.202.9480
Member-at-
Edin Kurbegovic
Large, Corporate
Member-at-
Shantel Gushue,
Large, Corporate
MARIE-JOSEE NADEAU
ADMIN ASSISTANT/ EDITOR “THE FORMULA
FORMULA@MIDCANADAAOAC.ORG
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