PFAS testing gets complicated fast, not because the science is impossible, but because the details matter. Targets vary by matrix, low-ppt expectations are common, and background contamination can quietly ruin a batch.
That’s why Agilent has built a one-page, practical cheat sheet you can share with your lab team or keep beside your method notes.
Inside, you’ll find a quick workflow compass across key matrices – meat/seafood, dairy & infant formula, grains and plant-based foods, and food contact materials – so you can align on what “good testing” looks like before you start.
What the cheat sheet covers:
- Targets to consider: a clear starting point with the core PFAS set (PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS), plus guidance on when to extend to broader panels, isomers (e.g., seafood), and precursors where applicable.
- Workflow building blocks: practical notes on sample prep, extraction, cleanup, and analysis, including matrix-aware choices that help protect recoveries and LOQs.
- QA/QC essentials: batch blank strategy, calibration verification cadence, matrix spikes/duplicates, LOQ verification by matrix, and documentation requirements that support audit-readiness.
- Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them): PTFE exposure, non-screened solvents, carryover after high-level samples, inconsistent homogenization, and surrogates added too late, issues that can drive reruns and questionable data.
- Reporting and decisions: unit expectations, sum rules where mandated, and what to include in the report (method ID, LOQs, uncertainty, surrogate recoveries, qualifiers, and deviations).
Fill the form and Download the PFAS cheat sheet – “PFAS Testing in Food and Food Contact Materials”