There is an important reason why raw material identification and verification (RMID) is a complicated process: it confirms the quality of the raw materials which are utilized in the manufacture of products that you put in and on your body.
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The complexity of RMID spans the spectrum from the testing process to analytical methods and instruments, then to the governmental standards and norms which regulate all aspects of RMID, including electronic records, the extent of sampling, system suitability, method validation and many others.
With Mira P and Mira Cal P, Metrohm Raman simplifies RMID. Image Credit: Metrohm AG
The warehouse verification of incoming materials with mobile Raman in regulated industries involves carrying out RMID directly at the loading dock. This means chemical analyses which used to be carried out in a laboratory by trained chemists can now be achieved very quickly and with great success by non-technical professionals.
System Suitability
Suitable calibration and validation routines must be supplied by producers of handheld Raman instruments for RMID. Calibration of Mira P with the Calibrate/Verify Accessory (CVA) attains instrument calibration in addition to system and performance verification. It then summarizes these tests in the System Suitability Test (SST) report for Mira P.
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CVA ensures that users can be confident in the data quality produced and that Mira P performs as intended. Users are assured that all measurements are in accordance with agreed standards upon completion of the SST.
Sampling Flexibility
RMID techniques have to accommodate numerous factors to create the most robust and accurate solution for the task. Key consideration must be given to:
- The sampling strategy: how to gather the best quality data, given specific conditions
- Sample presentation: including packaging, morphology and chemical nature
As it provides onsite, portable, no-contact analysis of liquid and solid samples, handheld Raman is recognized as a particularly well-suited method for RMID.
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Method Development
Mira P streamlines the development of methods for RMID with handheld Raman, from training and validation, set building and specific recommendations for gathering the best quality spectra to dedicated software routines which automatically establish optimal model parameters.
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The successful development of a technique relies on the inclusion of spectra in libraries and training sets utilized for RMID. An easy data collection phase is enabled by careful planning in the design phase of the model.
This data can be utilized to establish the best model parameters for robust technique development. Even non-technical users can implement effective, accurate RMID techniques with ModelExpert and Mira Cal P.
Method Implementation
The implementation of handheld Raman in RMID is a logical step for such a powerful method where most of the materials testing is performed in the receiving area. It has become widespread because of some very real benefits.
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- Guided Workflows: predefined workflows on Mira P make sampling simple and efficient
- Massive time savings: acquisition times of less than a minute, coupled with obvious, instant results to enable very high throughput
- Reduced resources: less demand for warehouse and laboratory personnel and lab consumables, costs and workloads
- Faster turnaround: delivers materials to production quicker
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Full Compliance and Complete Confidence
Mira Cal P is designed to protect customer data integrity and simplify compliance with worldwide norms and standards, just as Mira P has built-in routines to ensure instrument integrity. All RMID customers need data to be consistent, complete and accurate and MiraCal P goes beyond this with full traceability and transparency.
Image Credit: Metrohm AG
As MiraCal P analytical software from Metrohm Raman ensures all data processing adheres to several standards, it gives the user peace of mind.
Acknowledgments
Produced from materials originally authored by Dr. Melissa J. Gelwicks from Metrohm Raman.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Metrohm AG.
For more information on this source, please visit Metrohm AG.