In recent years, among food manufacturers, chemical manufacturers, and contract inspection organizations, there has been an increase in demand for analyses of contaminants, whether they have been mistakenly introduced as components or have adhered to the product. The increasing importance of inspections to determine if raw materials or other materials conform to specifications and meet the desired quality, after they have been delivered by suppliers, has also become more evident. In conjunction with this, increased attention has focused on EDX, which is suitable for the identification of metals and other inorganic elements, and FTIR, which excels at the analysis of polymeric materials and organic substances. Cases where the same sample is analyzed by both instruments has increased. However, in addition to the fact that a separate analysis of the acquired data needs to be performed on each instrument, derivations from the data of the two instruments that result in a final identification and degrees of matching are essentially left up to the analyst.
Due to these factors, Shimadzu has received numerous requests for software that is capable of the automatic analysis of data resulting from an integration of EDX and FTIR data, all by a single software package. Additionally, features such as the ability to integrate the analysis results acquired by two instruments and compare those results with standard data, and the ability to comprehensively store a range of files, including image files and reports, using the software were also demanded.
This EDX-FTIR contaminant finder/material inspector was designed to meet the needs of such users. Shimadzu has newly developed algorithms that use its libraries, which are known for their superior hit rate, to the maximum benefit. These developments result in a software product that, for the first time in the industry, integrates and analyzes EDX data and FTIR data.