Product News: New Zebron™ ZB-XLB-HT Inferno™ GC Column Delivers Fast Melamine Analysis

Phenomenex Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of separation science consumables, introduces the Zebron ZB-XLB-HT Inferno– a unique, high-temperature GC column that takes routine GC/MS melamine analysis of milk products to a new level. The ZB-XLB-HT outperforms all other available GC columns, reducing total run time to less than four minutes. Stable up to 400˚C, the Zebron-ZB-XLB-HT delivers more consistent performance and longer lifetime than other GC phases. The high temperature capability allows bake-off of matrix contamination, present in milk and other food products, that would otherwise decrease column lifetime.

Standard fused-silica columns are not engineered to withstand temperatures above 380˚C and their coating begins to degrade, eventually becoming brittle and inflexible. The Zebron Inferno non-metal columns incorporate Phenomenex’s proprietary coating and bonding technologies, providing stability at high temperatures, low bleed and low activity.

These new Zebron columns expand Phenomenex’s selection of tools for melamine analysis by GC and LC. The company’s Zebron ZB-5ms column is ideal for routine analysis of milk products using the FDA-recommended GC/MS method. For customers who need faster results, Phenomenex developed the new Zebron ZB-XLB HT Inferno GC column. If a lab prefers LC analysis, the Phenomenex Luna® HILIC (hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography) column resolves cyanuric acid and melamine in less than three minutes. The Phenomenex LC/MS method is superior to previously recommended ion exchange chromatography methods because it does not require ion pairing agents and provides higher retention and superior peaks. Regardless of the analysis technique, Phenomenex’s new Strata® Melamine SPE (solid phase extraction) Cartridges cut sample preparation time in half and simultaneously extract the deadly combination of melamine and cyanuric acid.

“Our successful Zebron Inferno columns were the first non-metal columns to provide stability at very high temperatures,” commented Sky Countryman, product manager for Phenomenex. “With the addition of these new columns, our offering of products, methods and expertise is the most comprehensive for melamine analysis.”

Phenomenex is a global technology leader committed to developing novel separation, purification and analytical chemistry solutions for the life sciences and related industries. Phenomenex’s core technologies include products for liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, sample preparation, bulk purification chromatographic media, and chromatography accessories and equipment.