It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, September 11, 2025
SCI-FI-TEK 70YRS IN THE MAKING
Key diagnostic system for ITER reactor nears completion
The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences
Cracow, 10 September 2025 - In the Universe, thermonuclear fusion is a common reaction: it is the source of energy for stars. On Earth producing energy using this process is difficult due to problems with controlling the plasma emitting significant amounts of energy. Of critical importance here is the knowledge of the current state of the plasma and the power released in nuclear reactions. In the ITER reactor this knowledge will be gathered by a sophisticated neutron flux diagnostic system.
The ITER experimental reactor, which has been under construction for over a decade, is a milestone in the development of fusion energy: it is to be the first device using nuclear fusion, capable of generating several times more power than required for its operation. A critically important element of the plasma diagnostics system in this reactor – the High Resolution Neutron Spectrometer (HRNS) – has just been presented in the journal Fusion Engineering and Design. The spectrometer design is a joint effort by physicists and engineers from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow, the University of Uppsala and the Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi in Milan, developed in close cooperation with the ITER Organization.
“The spectrometer we have designed allows us to measure both the number and energies of neutrons emitted by plasma across the full range of fusion power expected for the ITER reactor. This provides us with information about the proportions of deuterium and tritium, hydrogen isotopes that combine with each other inside the reaction chamber,” says Dr. Jan Dankowski (IFJ PAN), the first author of the article describing the spectrometer. He further clarifies: “Measuring the fast neutron population from the two dominant reactions in the plasma is a direct indicator of fuel composition, ion temperature, and combustion quality. In ITER and future reactors, this will be a key tool for controlling and optimizing reactor operation. Lack of this information would effectively mean the loss of one of the most important plasma diagnostic tools, significantly hampering both scientific research at ITER and the safe operation of future power reactors”.
Thermonuclear energy can safely be described as ‘green’. Energy is generated here similarly to the manner in which it is generated inside stars, i.e. through nuclear fusion reactions, the most promising of which appears to be the fusion of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium) into helium. Importantly, deuterium is found in vast quantities in the Earth's oceans, and tritium is not needed in large amounts and may in future be produced in the reactor itself (by bombarding more readily available lithium with neutrons). Furthermore, the fusion reaction is not chain-like, so it cannot lead to an explosion and the dispersion of large amounts of highly harmful radioactive materials. The risk of environmental contamination therefore remains minimal and is mainly limited to the reactor's structural elements themselves. Unfortunately, despite its enormous potential, fusion energy remains in the research and development phase. Practical implementation may take several years to complete – with the construction of the DEMO tokamak, a bridge between experimental reactors and a fusion power plant.
The nuclei of hydrogen isotopes form plasma, which, being electrically charged, can be held in isolation from the walls by a magnetic field inside the toroidal vacuum chamber of the reactor (these sorts of reactors are called tokamaks). Currently, this plasma must be additionally heated to reach a temperature of 150 million Kelvin, which guarantees the proper course of the reaction. The high-energy neutrons produced during fusion, being electrically neutral, escape towards the walls of the tokamak, allowing most of the energy produced to be recovered (and ultimately creating tritium in collisions with lithium).
The formation of helium nuclei would be of fundamental importance for the efficiency of future thermonuclear reactors. Endowed with high energy and electrically charged, they would remain inside the plasma in the tokamak's magnetic field and, in subsequent collisions with deuterium and tritium, would decrease own energy, ultimately increasing the energy of the thermonuclear fuel. This process would reduce the energy costs associated with external heating. The ITER reactor – under construction in Cadarache, France, since 2007, with a budget currently exceeding $20 billion and scheduled to start operating in the middle of the next decade – will not yet use helium nuclei to heat the plasma. Despite this limitation, it is expected to generate up to ten times more energy than it consumes, ultimately reaching a power output of 500 megawatts.
The HRNS spectrometer will be installed behind a thick concrete protective wall surrounding the fusion chamber, near an opening several centimetres in diameter, to be able to detect neutrons produced in the very center of the plasma. Depending on the power of the reactor, their flux will vary dramatically, reaching up to hundreds of millions of particles per square centimetre per second. During the measurement, HRNS will be able to analyze the neutron spectrum from the deuterium-deuterium reaction (neutrons with an energy of 2.5 megaelectronvolts) and from the deuterium-tritium reaction (neutrons with an energy of 14 megaelectronvolts).
In order to ensure the operation of the HRNS spectrometer under the full range of conditions anticipated in the ITER reactor, it had to be divided into four independent sub-assemblies. Each of these is essentially a separate spectrometer, operating on different principles and designed for a different range of neutron flux intensities. Physicists from the IFJ PAN are working on the development of the first subassembly, called TPR (Thin-foil Proton Recoil). Here, neutrons knock protons out of a thin polyethylene foil – and their scattering angles depend on the energies of the neutrons. Nearly 100 silicon detectors are responsible just for the detection of the protons. The second subassembly is the NDD (Neutron Diamond Detector) spectrometer, where neutrons are recorded by an array of over a dozen diamond detectors. The last two subassemblies, FTOF (Forward Time-of-Flight) and BTOF (Backscattering Time-of-Flight), measure the flight times of neutrons and estimate their kinetic energy based on the velocities determined in this way, with FTOF analysing neutrons that maintain a direction of motion similar to the original one, and BTOF analysing those scattered at large angles.
“The HRNS was designed to measure neutrons, but that doesn't mean it won't detect other types of radiation. In practice, many other particles, from gamma-ray photons to particles resulting from neutron interactions with reactor components and even with parts of our spectrometer, will produce a signal in the active part of the detector. All these factors results in the measured spectrum having an exceptionally complex structure. To properly interpret the data and extract reliable information about the amounts of deuterium and tritium, we must thoroughly understand the origin of this rich noise,” emphasises Prof. Marek Scholz (IFJ PAN).
Due to limited access to the measuring system during tokamak operation, scientists need to know how to interpret the incoming data. This is especially important if, during the running phase, some of the detectors of one of the subassemblies or even the entire subassembly are damaged. It was also critically important to design shielding elements so that neither the neutron flux nor the parts of the equipment excited by it would interfere with the operation of electronic subsystems or other measuring devices operating in the vicinity of the entire spectrometer.
“The project required a huge amount of numerical calculations, not only those directly related to neutron measurements. For example, a group from our institute was responsible for, amongst others, Monte Carlo calculations that enabled the optimization of the HRNS spectrometer's radiation shielding by demonstrating the transport of neutrons and gamma radiation in the environment and within individual components of the entire system. Equally important was the calculation of the radioactive activity of individual components of the HRNS spectrometer. This knowledge guarantees both the proper functioning of the device and the safety of the personnel operating it,” notes Dr. Urszula Wiacek, head of the Department of Radiation Transport Physics at the IFJ PAN.
Scientists expect that a prototype of a high-resolution neutron spectrometer for the ITER fusion reactor will be developed within two years. Work on the device was financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the ITER Organization.
The Henryk Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN) is currently one of the largest research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences. A wide range of research carried out at IFJ PAN covers basic and applied studies, from particle physics and astrophysics, through hadron physics, high-, medium-, and low-energy nuclear physics, condensed matter physics (including materials engineering), to various applications of nuclear physics in interdisciplinary research, covering medical physics, dosimetry, radiation and environmental biology, environmental protection, and other related disciplines. The average yearly publication output of IFJ PAN includes over 600 scientific papers in high-impact international journals. Each year the Institute hosts about 20 international and national scientific conferences. One of the most important establishments of the Institute is the Bronowice Cyclotron Centre (CCB), which is an infrastructure unique in Central Europe, serving as a clinical and research centre in the field of medical and nuclear physics. In addition, IFJ PAN runs four accredited research and measurement laboratories. IFJ PAN is a member of the Marian Smoluchowski Kraków Research Consortium: “Matter-Energy-Future”, which in 2012-2017 enjoyed the status of the Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) in physics. In 2017, the European Commission granted the Institute the HR Excellence in Research award. As a result of the categorization of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Institute has been classified into the A+ category (the highest scientific category in Poland) in the field of physical sciences.
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS:
“Development and performance of the thin-foil proton recoil spectrometer for ITER plasma diagnostics”
J. Dankowski, J. Bielecki, J. Błądek, S. Conroy, B. Coriton, G. Croci, D. Dworaka, G. Ericsson, J. Eriksson, A. Wójcik-Gargula, A. Hjalmarsson, A. Jardin, R. Kantor, A. Kovalev, K. Król, A. Kulińska, A. Kurowski, G. Mariano, R. Mehrara, D. Morawski, M. Rebai, M. Scholz, F. Scioscioli, M. Tardocchi, G. Tracz, M. Turzański, U. Wiącek
Press releases of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.
The high-resolution neutron spectrometer HRNS. The yellow structural elements surround the TPR system designed at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow. The lower part of the image shows the position of the HRNS spectrometer (green) relative to the tokamak's protective wall (red) and its fusion chamber (blue).
Installation of a neutron diagnostics system in the laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow. (Source: IFJ PAN)
The high-resolution neutron spectrometer HRNS. The yellow structural elements surround the TPR system designed at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow. The lower part of the image shows the position of the HRNS spectrometer (green) relative to the tokamak's protective wall (red) and its fusion chamber (blue). (Source: IFJ PAN, ITER Organization)
Durham University scientists have completed one of the largest quality verification programmes ever carried out on superconducting materials, helping to ensure the success of the world’s biggest fusion energy experiment ITER.
Their findings, published in Superconductor Science and Technology, shed light not only on the quality of the wires themselves but also on how to best test them, providing crucial knowledge for scientists to make fusion energy a reality.
Fusion (the process that powers the Sun) has long been described as the holy grail of clean energy. It offers the promise of a virtually limitless power source with no carbon emissions and minimal radioactive waste.
ITER, now under construction in southern France, is designed to demonstrate fusion at an unprecedented scale.
When operational, its giant magnets will confine plasma at temperatures hotter than the Sun’s core, and those magnets depend entirely on the performance of advanced superconducting wires.
The Durham University team, led by Professor Damian Hampshire and Dr Mark Raine, were chosen in 2011 to establish one of Europe’s official reference laboratories for ITER.
Their task was to develop the specialised methods needed to test the superconducting wires made from compounds called Nb₃Sn and Nb–Ti that form the backbone of ITER’s magnet system.
Each piece of wire had to meet extremely high standards to ensure the reliability of the machine.
Over the course of the project, the research team received more than 5,500 wire samples and carried out approximately 13,000 separate measurements.
Every wire had to be processed, prepared, and in the case of Nb₃Sn, heat-treated in furnaces reaching over 650°C before measurement.
What makes this work particularly significant is the statistical analysis carried out on this enormous dataset.
The Durham group showed that when the same strand cannot be measured repeatedly as is the case with Nb₃Sn wires, which are altered by heat-treatment measuring adjacent strands in different laboratories can act as a reliable substitute.
This provides a practical and cost-effective method of cross-checking results, ensuring both laboratory accuracy and manufacturing consistency.
Fusion energy could be transformative, but its success depends on getting the details right,
the researchers say.
The wires inside ITER’s magnets must carry currents hundreds of times greater than in household wiring, under extreme conditions.
Professor Damian Hampshire of Durham University, who led the work said: "The UK leads the world in the manufacture of MRI body scanners using Superconducting magnets.
“The question is can we help lead the world with the commercialisation of Fusion Power generation using Superconducting magnets?”
The findings come at a time of growing momentum in fusion energy. While ITER aims for its first plasma in 2035, private companies are racing to develop commercial reactors sooner.
Microsoft has already signed a deal to buy electricity from Helion’s planned fusion plant in 2028, and Google has pre-ordered 200 megawatts of fusion power from Commonwealth Fusion Systems in the 2030s.
Meanwhile, the UK government has committed £2.5 billion to fusion research and is building its own prototype plant, STEP, on a former coal site in Nottinghamshire.
When ITER begins operating, its magnets will generate some of the strongest steady magnetic fields ever created, enabling fusion reactions that could produce abundant, low-carbon energy without long-lived radioactive waste.
The success of the magnets and of ITER itself depends on the quality of the superconducting strands now verified in Durham.
It also provides an open resource that scientists everywhere can use to refine both the technology and the testing methods.
Durham’s role extends beyond ITER, the University is also a lead partner in the UK’s Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Power, helping train the next generation of scientists and engineers.
ENDS
Media Information
Professor Damian Hampshire from Durham University is available for interview and can be contacted on d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk.
Alternatively, please contact Durham University Communications Office for interview requests on communications.team@durham.ac.uk or +44 (0)191 334 8623.
Source
‘European Nb3Sn and Nb–Ti strand verification for ITER: processing, measurements and statistical analysis’, (2025), M J Raine, T Boutboul, P Readman and D P Hampshire, Superconductor Science and Technology.
An embargoed copy of the paper is available from Durham University Communications Office. Please email communications.team@durham.ac.uk.
Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research based in historic Durham City in the UK.
We are a collegiate university committed to inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham and in the world.
We conduct research that improves lives globally and we are ranked as a world top 100 university with an international reputation in research and education (QS World University Rankings 2026).
We are a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities and we are consistently ranked as a top 10 university in national league tables (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, Guardian University Guide and The Complete University Guide).
The latest survey from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the fourth of its kind, confirms that Candidozyma auris (formerly Candida auris) continues to spread quickly across European hospitals, posing a serious threat to patients and healthcare systems. Case numbers are rising, outbreaks are growing in scale, and several countries report ongoing local transmission. The findings highlight the importance of early detection and control of transmission to avoid widespread rapid dissemination.
Candidozyma auris (C. auris) is a fungus that usually spreads within healthcare facilities, is often resistant to antifungal drugs, and can cause severe infections in seriously ill patients. Its ability to persist on different surfaces and medical equipment and to spread between patients makes it particularly challenging to control. Between 2013 and 2023, EU/EEA countries reported over 4 000 cases, with a significant jump to 1 346 cases reported by 18 countries in 2023 alone. Five countries – Spain, Greece, Italy, Romania, and Germany – have accounted for most of the cases over the decade.
“C. auris has spread within only a few years – from isolated cases to becoming widespread in some countries. This shows how rapidly it can establish itself in hospitals,” said Dr Diamantis Plachouras, Head of ECDC’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections Section. “But this is not inevitable,” he added. “Early detection and rapid, coordinated infection control can still prevent further transmission.”
Recent outbreaks have been reported in Cyprus, France and Germany, while Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain have indicated they can no longer distinguish specific outbreaks due to widespread regional or national dissemination. In several of these countries, sustained local transmission has occurred within only a few years after the first documented case, highlighting a critical window for early interventions to stop its spread.
While some countries have showed positive results in limiting C. auris outbreaks, many are facing key gaps. Despite rising case numbers, only 17 of 36 participating countries currently have a national surveillance system in place for C. auris. Only 15 countries have developed specific national infection prevention and control guidance. Laboratory capacity is comparatively stronger, with 29 countries reporting access to a mycology reference or expert laboratory and 23 offering reference testing for hospitals.
While the number of C. auris infections is clearly rising, without systematic surveillance and mandatory reporting, the true scale of the problem is likely under-reported.
ECDC has regularly assessed the epidemiological situation, laboratory capacity and preparedness for C. auris in four surveys since 2018 and published rapid risk assessments including options for infection prevention and control. This is to support Member States in improving their preparedness and early response capacities to prevent or contain C. auris outbreaks in a timely manner and prevent further transmission.
Notes to the editor
The C. auris 2024 survey covered 36 countries, including EU/EEA countries and EU enlargement countries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
Spain (1 807), Greece (852), Italy (712), Romania (404) and Germany (120) reported the highest number of cases between 2013 and 2023.
In 2023, 1 346 cases were reported by 18 EU/EEA countries, the highest number since C. auris was first reported in Europe in 2014.
Looking to the future together: 20 years of the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring
Annual conference brings together more than 100 international researchers, consultants and practitioners in regional labour market policy at Goethe University Frankfurt
FRANKFURT. Steering the right course for regional labour markets requires reliable forecasts. Yet in times of multiple crises and unpredictable political decisions, traditional methods are reaching their limits: events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and structural change in key industries have all reduced forecasting accuracy. Simply projecting past developments into the future is no longer sufficient given the unprecedented speed of change. An alternative lies in so-called foresight methods.
Rather than providing statistical data, foresight methods systematically gather expert knowledge to explore how future developments might unfold, often by sketching out different scenarios. Worldwide, scholars and policy advisors are increasingly turning to this approach. In many European countries and regions, however, foresight is still largely uncharted territory, especially in policy consulting. The conference of the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring, held from September 17 to 19, will explore this topic in a series of lectures and discussions.
Founded 20 years ago by Goethe University’s Institute for Economics, Labour and Culture (IWAK), the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring now counts more than 400 members from over 30 countries. Its mission: to improve the data and information base for labour market-related decision-making in regions across the globe. At its annual meetings, members exchange insights on the development of regional labour markets as well as on theories, concepts and methods of labour market monitoring.
“We expect this conference to provide valuable impulses for labour market policy in Hesse,” says Heike Hofmann, Hessian Minister for Labour, Integration, Youth and Social Affairs, who has taken on patronage of the event and will also actively participate in it. For 20 years, the Network has proven the benefits of thinking beyond borders. While challenges may often be similar across regions, solutions differ. “This can provide a strong stimulus for new ideas for one’s own region,” notes Christa Larsen, Head of IWAK and Coordinator of the Network, adding that within Germany, Hesse is already ahead of many other federal states in this respect. But there are also international models to learn from: regions in Spain, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Austria are well advanced in fostering close cooperation between research and policy in order to promote evidence-based policymaking.
Other international organizations also benefit from the Network, and it is not by coincidence that Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Frankfurt is a co-organizer. A large delegation from the labour ministries of the ten ASEAN states will likewise attend, and the Network also collaborates closely with the OECD’s Local Employment and Economic Development (LEED) program, another event co-organizer.
The European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring (EN RLMM) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a gala evening on September 18, bringing together leaders from business, labour and politics in Hesse. The keynote will be delivered by Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, Chair of the Management Board of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Looking ahead to the conference, Goethe University Vice President Prof. Dr. Bernhard Brüne says: “Goethe University is ideally suited as a venue for international exchange and cooperation, and I am delighted that this important topic of foresight is being strategically advanced here.”
Duke-NUS and collaborators shape global roadmap to reduce anaemia
Better data, smarter treatment plans and more realistic targets are needed to tackle anaemia, which affects nearly two billion people worldwide and remains a major obstacle to global health goals
Country-specific targets for reducing anaemia in women of reproductive age by 2030 based on each nation’s health challenges, resources and what currently recommended interventions can cost-effectively achieve.
Credit: Cost-effective targets for anaemia reduction in 191 countries: a modelling study. Lancet Haematol. 2025 Aug 20
Singapore, 11 September 2025—Duke-NUS Medical School, working with an international team of experts, has contributed to a new evidence-based plan to tackle anaemia—a condition affecting nearly two billion people worldwide and a persistent obstacle to achieving global health goals.
Published in The Lancet Haematology, the study sets out expert consensus on the causes of anaemia, identifies major data and knowledge gaps and recommends the most cost-effective strategies for reducing its global prevalence.
Anaemia develops when the body lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen. Iron deficiency is the leading cause, though other nutrient shortages, chronic diseases and infections such as malaria and hookworm play a role depending on local conditions. Despite its scale, anaemia often receives less attention than other health threats, even though it undermines maternal health, child survival and economic growth.
In 2015, the United Nations set a target of halving anaemia in women of childbearing age by 2030. Nearly a decade on, most countries remain far from this goal. The study shows why: in many low- and middle-income countries, recommended interventions are either unavailable, too costly or underused.
Assistant ProfessorRobin Blythe, from Duke-NUS Medical School’s Health Systems & Services Research Programme, who led the economic modelling component of the study, said:
“A one-size-fits-all approach to anaemia does not work. Countries face very different challenges, from poverty and infectious diseases to food shortages. These realities are often overlooked in global health targets. We need goals that are ambitious yet realistic—and tailored to each country’s needs and resources.”
The team estimated how much progress each country could realistically achieve by 2030 using currently recommended measures such as staple food fortification, iron supplementation, and preventive malaria treatment in pregnancy. They used country-specific data, including anaemia prevalence, health system capacity and how much each country can cost-effectively afford to spend on public health. Their analysis shows the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 50 percent reduction is not feasible with current tools and funding.
The study reveals sharp contrast between countries. Singapore, for example, could achieve a 25 per cent reduction among women of reproductive age—slightly above the global average but still only half of the SDG target. With an anaemia prevalence of 18.4 per cent among women of reproductive age, Singapore’s strong health system, high antenatal care coverage and ability to implement fortification programmes put it in a strong position to make meaningful gains.
Most anaemia cases in Singapore are mild (17 per cent), with only 1.4 per cent moderate cases and virtually no severe ones. The country’s ability to pay for public health programmes, its high coverage of antenatal care, at 81 per cent for iron supplementation, and its ability to implement food fortification programs put it in a strong position to reduce anaemia further.
“Singapore has the capacity to make real progress,” said Asst Prof Blythe. “By focusing on fortifying staple foods with iron and improving the uptake of supplements during antenatal care, the country can achieve real reductions in anaemia while using resources efficiently. Unlike in malaria-endemic regions, preventive malaria treatments are not relevant in Singapore, so investments should go where the impact will be greatest.”
By contrast, Indonesia is projected to achieve only a 9 per cent reduction due to constrained healthcare spending, while Malaysia could reach 28 per cent reduction. These variations underscore the need for country-specific goals rather than uniform global targets, ensuring public health resources are directed where they can make the most difference.
ProfessorPatrick Tan, Senior Vice-Dean for Research at Duke-NUS, said:
“This study shows that solving major health challenges requires collaboration across disciplines and borders. By setting realistic targets based on local conditions and investing in proven programmes, countries can accelerate progress and improve health for billions. These recommendations point to a more practical, evidence-driven path forward.”
The study also called for better data systems to track anaemia and its causes. While many surveys measure how common anaemia is, few gather information about its specific causes in each population. This makes it hard to plan effective responses. A global anaemia database and expanded health surveys would help close this data gap and improve decision-making.
Asst Prof Blythe emphasised that setting more realistic targets is not about giving up on ambition. “When targets are set too high and countries fail to meet them, it can create frustration and even discourage continued efforts. Our approach provides a clear, data-driven way to set targets that reflect what each country can realistically achieve with current tools. This way, we can still drive progress while being honest about what is possible.”
The authors are now sharing their findings with the World Health Organisation, with the hope that future health and nutrition targets will adopt a similar country-specific, evidence-based approach. With stronger data, better funding strategies and smarter policies, countries can make meaningful progress in reducing anaemia and improving public health.
Duke-NUS is Singapore’s flagship graduate entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted ‘Clinicians Plus’ poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five Signature Research Programmes and ten Centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore’s largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has led to the creation of 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives.
Researchers uncover high carcinogenic compounds in common foods using an advanced QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) detection method
In today’s world, people are increasingly prioritizing their health and well-being, with daily exercises and calorie-tracking apps becoming the new norm. People are therefore interested in incorporating highly nutritious food items such as fruits and vegetables into their diet plans. However, these foods—owing to contamination as well as due to certain cooking methods such as heating, smoking, grilling, roasting, and frying—may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (hydrophobic organic compounds comprising multiple fused aromatic rings) and their derivatives. PAHs comprise some carcinogenic compounds, posing significant risks to human health.
In this context, it is indispensable to extract, detect, and analyze PAHs in food. Traditional PAH extraction techniques, including solid-phase, liquid-liquid, and accelerated solvent extraction, are cost-effective but time-consuming, environmentally unfriendly, and require extensive manual work. Recently, scientists have proposed the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method to streamline and accelerate the extraction of organic compounds. This novel technique reduces extraction time, improves accuracy and recovery rates, and simplifies sample preparation, making it safe, reliable, and efficient for PAH analysis.
In a new study, a team of researchers from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, led by Professor Joon-Goo Lee, utilized the QuEChERS method to determine eight PAHs (Benzo[a]anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Benzo[k]fluoranthene, Benzo[a]pyrene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and Benzo[g,h,i]perylene in food. Their findings were made available online on 5 June 2025 and were published in Volume 34, Issue 12 of the journal Food Science and Biotechnology in August 2025.
The researchers extracted PAHs using acetonitrile. This was followed by purification via different methods involving various combinations of sorbents. The researchers validated the QuEChERS extraction method through a number of food matrices, finding that the calibration curves for the eight PAHs demonstrated remarkable linearity, with the R2 value exceeding 0.99.
Further, the gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the limits of detection ranged from 0.006 to 0.035 µg/kg, while the limits of quantification ranged from 0.019 to 0.133 µg/kg. Notably, recoveries ranged from 86.3 to 109.6% at 5 µg/kg, 87.7 to 100.1% at 10 µg/kg, and 89.6 to 102.9% at 20 µg/kg, with precision values between 0.4 and 6.9% in all food matrices.
Prof. Lee reveals, “This method not only simplifies the analytical process but also demonstrates high efficiency in detection compared to conventional methods. It can be applied to a wide range of food matrices.”
In the industrial sector, this method could be used for inspecting food products for safety management. Furthermore, it is expected to lead to cost reduction and improved safety for workers.
“Our research can improve public health by providing safe food. It also reduces the use and emission of hazardous chemicals in laboratory testing,” concludes Prof. Lee.
Overall, this study showcases that the developed PAH analysis method based on the QuEChERS approach is environmentally friendly, rapid, and accurate.
About the institute Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)
Seoul National University of Science and Technology, commonly known as 'SEOULTECH,' is a national university located in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in April 1910, around the time of the establishment of the Republic of Korea, SEOULTECH has grown into a large and comprehensive university with a campus size of 504,922 m2.
It comprises 10 undergraduate schools, 35 departments, 6 graduate schools, and has an enrollment of approximately 14,595 students.
Joon-Goo Lee is a Professor at theDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology. He is an expert in food regulation and safety assessment. He served as a scientific officer at Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and as a visiting researcher at FSANZ. He is a member of the National Food Sanitation Committee and an expert for the FAO/WHO JECFA. He also serves as the executive director of the Korean food safety societies. His research focuses on risk assessment and the reduction of contaminants in food, contributing to science-based policies and improved public health.
