Customer stories
Vacuum pumps from VACUUBRAND for rotary evaporation in food analysis.
© CVUA Freiburg
Before food and feed can be tested for residues and contaminants, precise sample preparation is required. Vacuum technology plays a central role in this process – as an example from the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office (CVUA) in Freiburg demonstrates. In this interview, we speak with chemistry laboratory technician Lena Moosmann about her daily experiences.
When it comes to food safety monitoring and animal health, numerous Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Offices (CVUA) work behind the scenes. They are responsible for monitoring limit values and consumer protection. Whether meat, milk, eggs, or feed – all undergo strict testing for harmful substances.
Lena Moosmann is a chemistry laboratory technician at CVUA Freiburg, where she prepares samples daily – primarily for testing for halogenated POPs (persistent organic pollutants). These contaminants are particularly insidious: they remain in the environment for long periods, accumulate in organisms, and enter livestock through feed or the environment – and from there into animal-derived foods for human consumption.
Residues and contaminants – the difference:
- Residues originate from intentionally used substances – for example, pesticides from crop protection or veterinary medicines in animal husbandry.
- Contaminants are unintentional impurities – such as halogenated POPs (e.g., dioxins, PCBs) or heavy metals.
Which vacuum pumps are used for food analysis?
Before state-of-the-art mass spectrometers at CVUA Freiburg can measure existing contaminants, the samples must be prepared: target analytes are extracted, treated with many different solvents, and purified – complex procedures that require the highest precision.
This is where vacuum technology comes into play: samples are concentrated on rotary evaporators – the solvent evaporates gently under vacuum while the contaminants remain. In solvent recovery or distillation processes, diaphragm pumps provide the necessary conditions to ensure analyses run precisely and reproducibly.
The laboratory equipment is complemented by rotary vane pumps from VACUUBRAND for special applications requiring deeper vacuum ranges.
At CVUA Freiburg, we work daily on food and feed safety – and we use numerous vacuum diaphragm pumps and vacuum controllers from VACUUBRAND. We have multiple units of many models in daily use, mainly on rotary evaporators during the processing of halogenated POPs.
Example showing the vacuum diaphragm pump PC 3001 VARIO select with electronic vacuum control on a rotary evaporator, VACUUBRAND headquarters in Wertheim.
Chemically resistant vacuum diaphragm pumps for rotary evaporation
At CVUA Freiburg, several chemically resistant vacuum diaphragm pumps from VACUUBRAND are used for rotary evaporation, for example:
- for vacuum down to 2 mbar
- ideal for low to high boilers
demand-based vacuum control for automatic evaporation and short process times
- for vacuum down to 7 mbar
- ideal for low boilers
- suitable for parallel operation of two applications
Vacuum diaphragm pump PC 5 Mono – in use for decades on rotary evaporation and distillation.
© CVUA Freiburg
Robust vacuum pump in use for 35 years
At CVUA Freiburg, many different solvents are used in the processing of contaminants. To work as sustainably as possible, the laboratory recycles them using two in-house distillation systems – so they can be reused afterwards.
At CVUA Freiburg, a robust vacuum diaphragm pump outscores the age of many of its operators:
"Our vacuum pump PC 5 Mono has been working reliably since 1989 and seemingly effortlessly evacuates the sump of our distillations," reports Lena Moosmann.
Originally, the chemically resistant pump was used on a rotary evaporator. Today it operates on the distillation systems – repurposed as a Woulfe bottle. The vacuum pump does not come into direct contact with solvents.
"It doesn't have to meet extreme requirements, but primarily one thing: generate sufficient vacuum. And the PC 5 Mono has proven to be extremely robust in doing so."
Whether a decades-old or state-of-the-art vacuum pump from VACUUBRAND: The true quality of good laboratory technology is that you can rely on it. Today, tomorrow – and even after three decades.
