The IFSH Center for Food Chemistry and Packaging (CFCP) is a research center within the Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) in support of the FDA鈥檚 Human Foods Program (HFP), promoting the health and wellness of all people by working to prevent food contamination, reduce diet related chronic disease, and ensure food is safe and nutritious.
The CFCP will serve as a collaborative hub bringing together the FDA, food industry, and academia to tackle key challenges related to food contaminants, packaging, safety and quality of food and beverage products. The CFCP aims to develop innovative and safe food products while training the next generation of food scientists. The Center鈥檚 research is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institute of Health (NIH), and various industry grants.
The Center is equipped with state-of-the-art analytical instruments, including two UHPLC-MS/MS System (Agilent 1200 Rapid Resolution UHPLC connected to a Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (Agilent 6460 and Agilent 6475), 2 Agilent HPLC鈥檚 with Diode Array and fluorescence detectors and a GC-MS (Agilent 7890A/5975 GC-MS). In addition, the Center has access to ICP-MS, ICP-OES, microwave digestor, GC-MS, GC-FID, UHPLC-QQQ (Waters Corporation), UHPLC-Q-TOF (Agilent Technologies) circular dichroism, and X-Ray crystallography. IFSH also houses an FDA-registered GMP pilot plant and kitchen for food product development.
Analytical Capabilities
- Characterization and quantitation of bioactive food components (phytochemicals).
- Bioavailability and bio-accessibility of various nutrients (vitamins, minerals and polyphenols) in humans and in-vitro models.
- Investigating the effects of processing on food constituents.
- Analysis of toxic chemicals/contaminants (PFAS, pesticides, etc.) in foods and the environment.
- Analysis, cross-contact, method validation, effects of processing on allergenicity, and structural characterization of allergens.
- Evaluation on the interaction between packaging materials and food products including fabricating packaging films with nano materials, testing their strength, conducting migration studies to evaluate the potential transfer of packaging materials into food products, and research on eco-friendly packaging materials.
Key Staff Members and Contact Information
Amandeep Sandhu
Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition
asandhu2@iit.edu