News 2025
Yearly ScholarGPS ranks in Chromatography
Just before Xmas, the newest researcher analysis was published:
- TLC is listed among the unique selling points of JLU Giessen
- Our research is listed as world position #4 of highly Ranked Scholars™ in Chromatography (among the 0.002% scholars of the prior 5 years).
Neue Vitamin-Umrechnungstabellen
Wir, die sehr aktive GDCh-LMCh-Arbeitsgruppe "Fragen der Ernährung" (Runterscrollen => Aktuelles), haben nun die Vitamin-Umrechnungstabellen überarbeitet und aktualisiert (November 2025).
Die GDCh-LMCh-Arbeitsgruppe "Fragen der Ernährung" erarbeitet seit 1974 an der Schnittstelle der Disziplinen Lebensmittelchemie und Ernährungswissenschaften Stellungnahmen zu aktuellen Themen im Bereich Ernährung, zu Entwürfen von nationalen und internationalen Gesetzesvorhaben oder zu konkreten wissenschaftlichen und lebensmittelrechtlichen Anfragen. Mitglieder sind Lebensmittelchemiker und Ernährungswissenschaftler aus der Lebensmittelüberwachung, Universitäten und anderen Forschungseinrichtungen sowie aus freien Handelslaboren und der Lebensmittelindustrie.
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New humidity control is now integrated into the 2LabsToGo-Eco, standardizing the separation.
Chemikalienbewertung
Der AK Chemikalienbewertung der GDCh-Fachgruppe Umweltchemie und Ökotoxikologie tagt und planare Bioassays sind dabei! Wir freuen uns über das Interesse!
Initiative Vielstoffgemische
Wir, die Initiative Vielstoffgemische, publizierten vor Kurzem ein Buch zu ätherischen Ölen.
Bunse, M., Schulz, H., Brendieck-Worm, C., Daniels, R., Graf-Schiller, S., Heilmann, J., Kammerer, D.R., Melzig, M.F., Morlock, G.E., Stiefel, C., Stintzing, F.C., Wink, M., Zimmermann, E. (Eds.): Essential Oils Unveiled: Complex Compositions for Food, Cosmetics, and Medicine, CABI, Oxfordshire, UK, 2025.
Es wurde in der Deutschen Lebensmittel-Rundschau referiert:
"Ätherische Öle sind natürliche komplexe Substanzen, komplexe Mischungen aus Pflanzen, Tieren und Mineralien, wie sie in der Natur vorkommen, und auch daraus gewonnene Präparate. Die Forschung mit solch komplexen Pflanzenmischungen bietet neue Möglichkeiten zur Entwicklung aktiver pflanzenbasierter Medikamente und biologisch aktiver Ressourcen für Menschen, Tiere und Pflanzen. Dies ist besonders wichtig, da Monosubstanzheilmittel wie Antibiotika ihre therapeutischen Grenzen erreichen.
Das Buch über „Essential Oils Unveiled“ bietet einen prägnanten Einblick in ätherische Öle als natürliche komplexe Substanzen, ihre analytischen und galenischen Eigenschaften, ihren Einsatz in der Veterinärmedizin und Aromatherapie beim Menschen sowie ihre Rolle in der Kosmetik- und Lebensmittelindustrie.
Jörg Heilmann und Gertrud E. Morlock befassen sich etwa mit analytischen Methoden zur Bewertung von ätherischen Ölen, zum Nachweis von Spezifikationen und zum Nachweis von Verfälschungen (Pharmacopoeias and Beyond – Analytical Methods for Assessment of Essential Oils, Proof of Specifications and Detection of Adulterations, Chapter 2, pp. 24-55).
In der Initiative Vielstoffgemische der Stiftung Integrative Medizin & Pharmazie verbindet Wissenschaftler und Therapeuten von Universitäten, Hochschulen und Unternehmen, die sich zum Ziel gesetzt haben, integrative Therapiemethoden aktiv zu beforschen. Ziel ist es, die Vielfalt naturheilkundlichen Wissens aus oftmals alten Medizinsystemen mit moderner Analytik und Messmethoden zu untersuchen und diese in die heutige Medizin zu integrieren."
Wie gut arbeiten Kläranlagen? Mehrwert der Ozonierung?
Zwar keinen Vortragslot im Programm des Langenauer Wasserforums erhascht, aber wir haben einen Beitrag in der aktuellen Wasserforum-Ausgabe, herausgegeben von Dr. Margareta Dellert-Ritter: Ringelmann, A., Morlock, G.E., Innovative toxikologische Bewertung der Effizienz von Kläranlagen - Schadstoffscreening von behandeltem Abwasser mittels planarem Bioassay, human-S9-Metabolisierung und Hochauflösungs-Massenspektrometrie, Wasserforum 11 (2025) 4-7
Science communication
Packed in one week, certainly no leisure time, as in parallel, always working on emails and digital supervision
- Invited Speaker at 14th Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods in Siófok, Hungary
- Invited Speaker at the Analytica USA Conference in Columbus, Ohio
- Interview video on hyphenated HPTLC by Will Wetzel of LCGC International
- Poster presentations at the Analytica USA Conference: (1) Daily exposure to toxic lifestyle products; (2) Endocrine-disrupting compounds in food
- Moderation of the Live Lab at Analytica USA, 1-h session at 10:00, 12:00, and 14:00 each day
It was great to meet Chip (Robert Cody), the co-inventor of the DART ion source in 2005! We were the first to use this new ion source in combination with HPTLC in 2007. Our progress to quantitative HPTLC-DART scanning across a separated sample track is unique, and papers are coming soon.
The Analytica Live Lab featured a 1-h tour through the latest analytical device innovations!
It was a great team of 18 players to meet every second hour to have fun!
LCGC interview with Will at the very end of the day
An enjoyable time to meet very kind colleagues attending an exceptional symposium such as the Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods in Siófok, Hungary, which means:
- ask questions to challenge speakers
- present and defend your poster
- gratefully enjoy the invited speaker dinner
- succeed in your own presentation
- win a sustainability science quiz
- challenge curious colleagues all the time
Know more about multiple chemical sensitivity
Impairment by fragrances is also the topic of a recent paper by Wagner, H., Klaschka, U. Forced isolation by invisible barriers: international survey on the effects of fragrances on the quality of life. Environ Sci Eur 38, 2 (2026). Recently, they have produced short videos. There are self-empowered associations in Germany, such as the MCS Selbsthilfegruppe Rosenheim, because medical doctors often do not provide diagnoses or solutions.
Interview with Aaron Goodman, Ph.D., Founder/Host of The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, which focuses on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and wider issues related to environmental health. There are thousands of unseen and hidden MCS-concerned humans across the globe. The body's enzyme portfolio can be expressed in very different ways. What triggers sensitivity, or those enzymes that normally work on detoxification inside you (millions of reactions every second) are too low expressed so that fragrances can make you sick?
Interns from Bamberg High School
Michael and Daniel Dlustig spent a week with us as part of a school internship, getting a taste of life in the laboratory.
Annual Science Meeting in the "Forscherscheune"
The Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung greatly organized the science meeting on running funded projects in Ködnitz on 03.07.2025. The doctoral student Bastian Loderhose defended our project "Comparative characterisation and toxicological evaluation of submerged and surface cultivated edible mushroom mycelia versus the corresponding fruiting bodies as sustainably produced foods of the future".
Six excursions to industries
Related to our three quality management modules, we visited Novonesis and Ferrero.
We obtained important impressions and are thankful.
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Support in 2LabsToGo-Eco assembly
The assembly of the 2LabsToGo-Eco is now published. The proof was made with the workshop last year (see News 2024). We are very happy that three engineers from ETHZ have founded the startup Chromnil and will take over the assembly as a service if self-assembly is not possible. The purchase of about 180 different materials from many different suppliers, 3D printing of about 125 parts, including part cleaning, soldering of electronic parts, and finally the assembly of the 2LabsToGo-Eco hardware, including flashing the firmware and installing the software, is carried out by them as a service. They are striving for more user-friendliness and have already made improvements to the device. This is highly welcome and appreciated!
How safe are products on the market?
Many lifestyle products, such as cosmetics, personal care products, and perfumes, contain hazardous compounds that are not covered by previous status quo testing and regulations. We were able to prove this with the strong planar bioassay methodology, with which we examined 140 personal care products and cosmetics from 20 product segments, as well as over 40 perfumes. We found known and especially unknown mutagenic, cytotoxic, neuromodulating, antibacterial, and hormone-influencing hazardous compounds. It revealed the effect of these lifestyle products on cells and receptors, which information was more profound and helpful than the currently used mainstream methods. Wound "healing" creams, "care" creams, and nipple creams used for babies, as well as lipsticks with chocolate aroma used by children, are a particular cause for pressing concern. Open channels to the blood circuit are obvious as entry paths, and at such a young age, the metabolic defense system of the body is not yet fully developed.
Links to press coverage
PhD student from Groningen University
During three stays in 2024/2025, PhD candidate Rosario Flores-Vallejo of Groningen University worked on novel antibacterials in algal, fungal, and bacterial extracts using 2D-HPTLC-bioassay-HRMS.
Research trip into the world of medical cannabis
At Aurora’s medical cannabis production facility in Leuna, we were guided through the entire cultivation process from the mother plants to the cuttings, which were nurtured into plants with flowers used to manufacture medical cannabis. We had the opportunity to exchange ideas about the 2LabsToGo-Eco, which plays a key role in our future research collaborations with Aurora’s medical cannabis products. Many thanks to Aurora for the insights and lively discussions!
Sensory modules
During the semester break, our two sensory block modules took place for the 8th time!
After preparing more than 100 trays (twice!), the whole team formed a very effective “human conveyor belt” for a smooth collection of the trays by the students on their way to the lecture hall.
Group work as part of the guided sensory excercises in the lecture hall.
The group that made it happen!
You need the power for decision-making!
Join our digital or hybrid course on 24.-28.02.2025
The status quo of safety analysis is a highly targeted analysis of known hazardous compounds. Unfortunately, current safety analysis is always one step behind the next disaster or scandal. It is time for a change. So it was not surprising that we found many toxic compounds in so-called safe products using this technology. The new technology is helpful for a new perspective on product safety, so that safer products can be launched on the market in the future. Be part of the change towards a sustainable one-health planet!
Girl icon was created via Stable Diffusion AI on 30-11-2023
Nature, with its forces earth, wind, fire, water, and love, is infinitely stronger than us and will always be superior to whatever our achievements are. Intelligence is to treat nature with respect. We are part of nature! We eagerly develop affordable, open-source tools and highly sustainable planar bioassay screenings to explore not only the adverse impact of xenogenic compounds on nature but also the powerful networks of nature and natural systems to understand their superior intelligence.
Practical course BP-010 on Food Chemistry
Students interested in food chemistry can choose this hands-on course, which includes a range of experiments using wet chemistry, HPTLC, HPLC, and GC to study foods and lifestyle products.
Effect-directed hazard analysis of personal care products using the 2LabsToGo-Eco (in its infancy, first trial)
Preparations for fatty acid methyl ester analysis of edible oils and fats using GC-FID
In front of the hot muffle furnace: flour ashing for determination of the flour type
Quantitative photometry of food dyes and bitter acids in the prepared beer extract 
Quantitative UPLC analysis of active ingredients in energy drinks
Time for calculations... and a rest
We use latest instrumental developments in our study courses, not only the 2LabsToGo-Eco, but also the TLC Explorer:
International Anakon 2025
The Anakon 2025, organized by the groups of Detlev Belder and Thorsten Reemtsma, took place in Leipzig, Germany, 10.–13.03.202. The doctoral student Stefan Rohling presented on" high-performance thin-layer chromatography coupled with direct analysis in real time high-resolution mass spectrometry as a rapid screening technique for 5α-reductase inhibitors". I presented on "all you need is 2LabsToGo-Eco! Sustainable, fast access to critical analytical-toxicological data".
National meeting on contaminants
I clearly underlined that proactive food control is the future to have in the presentation on "Proaktive Überwachung – Lebensmittelsicherheit anders gedacht“ at the Kontaminantenworkshop, CVUA-MEL, Münster, Germany, on 11./12.02.2025. We will see how long the transformation takes towards controlling not only the known but also the unknown hazardous compounds in samples.
International meeting on packaging materials
Advances in Safety Assessment of Packaging Materials were discussed in Vienna, Austria, on 22.01.2025. We presented the 2LabsToGo screening as an ideal tool not to overlook unknown hazardous migrants.
Speakers of the meeting
Presentations of doctoral research work
Erfolgreich wurde unsere Forschung auf dem 35. Doktorandenseminar des Arbeitskreises Separation Science vom 12.–14.01.2025 in Hohenroda, Hessen, vertreten. Katharina Schmidtmann präsentierte "Schneller Nachweis von mutagenen Substanzen durch den planaren Ames-Bioassay" und Anne Ringelmann "Planare Bioassays zur Bestimmung von migrierten Substanzen aus Lebensmittelkontakt-Materialien".
Sie haben es beide sehr souverän gemeistert – Gratulation!
