Inaugural Markes International HiSorb user group meeting a success

The first Markes International HiSorb user group meeting, held online in December 2021, drew interest from an international, multi-disciplinary audience including key opinion leaders. The theme of the event was ‘Discover – Connect – Collaborate’, with a particular focus on Markes’ HiSorb™ technique.

What is HiSorb?

HiSorb is a high-capacity sorptive extraction technique. HiSorb probes extract volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds by headspace or immersive sampling from a range of solids and liquids. The recent addition of new phase combinations for the probes has led to wider adoption across multiple sectors.

The robust probes enable full automation of all sample preparation steps, including phase washing and drying, on the Centri^® extraction and enrichment platform, providing a unique hands-free workflow for analysts. Alternatively, the probes can be used in a stand-alone technique in which extraction is performed with an offline agitator. They can also be deployed in the field (e.g., in situ sampling of VOCs in river water), after which they are placed inside empty, industry-standard-size thermal desorption tubes for analysis on dedicated thermal desorbers, such as Markes’ TD100-xr™.

What attendees learnt at the meeting

A poll revealed that most attendees’ analytical work involves detecting both target and unknown compounds in the same analysis, with the majority using HiSorb, solid-phase microextraction (SPME), thin-film solid-phase microextraction (TF-SPME) or stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) techniques.

“The user group provided an opportunity for analysts undertaking sample preparation to exchange ideas with those already working with HiSorb. It was very encouraging to see this level of energy and enthusiasm from the group,” said user group moderator Rachael Szafnauer.

During the session, the following HiSorb users shared their experiences:

• Alexandra Martin, Applications Scientist at Owlstone Medical, Cambridge, UK: uncovering unique breath biomarkers as indicators of respiratory disease.
• Elefteria Psillakis, Professor at Technical University of Crete, Greece: discovering contaminants from discarded cigarette butts in environmental waters; untargeted analysis of samples to understand toxicity related to organic compounds present in leachates.
• Jonathan Grandy, SepSolve Analytical, Waterloo, Canada: fundamentals and best practice of sorptive extraction techniques, including HiSorb.
• Robert Harrington, Research Associate at University of Maine, USA: targeted analysis of odorants in water and fish by the Aquaculture Research Institute to monitor the quality of fish produced for the commercial market and overall health of recirculating aquaculture systems.

Future Markes International user group meetings are being planned for the coming year with the hope that these will be in-person where possible.

Look out for more presentations featuring HiSorb at the 2nd European Sample Preparation e-Conference