SIFT-MS – the Secret of Success

Martin Perkins

23rd February 2018

Distributor, Mark Perkins, Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry, SIFT-MS, Syft Technologies, Vaughan Langford,


Anatune have been the UK and Ireland distributor for Syft Technologies for three years now and the Principal Scientist/Consultant, Dr Vaughan Langford, at Syft Technologies has generously offered to share his thoughts…

‘Three years…

  • time to complete an undergraduate degree?
  • or around the time to gain a PhD?
  • and the time that Anatune has been a distributor for Syft Technologies!

Yes, we have reached a three-year milestone and I think it is time to reminisce on three amazing years since Anatune became Syft Technologies’ distributor for the UK and Ireland!

So how does the progress made compare with undergraduate and postgraduate educations in Chemistry? My background is a PhD in Physical Chemistry (in optical spectroscopy, and moving into MS when I joined Syft in late 2002), with just one undergraduate paper in Analytical Chemistry.  I have recently learned significantly more Analytical Chemistry, thanks to Mark Perkins and Dan Carrier!  I reckon that these three years have been an incredible growth curve for me in the practice of Analytical Chemistry, and I am very grateful for the ongoing interaction with these highly experienced Application Chemists!

Considering the quality of work coming out of the Anatune applications lab – and its translation into new customers in the UK and Ireland – I think the PhD provides a better analogy when I look at the incredible contribution that Anatune has made to wider acceptance of the SIFT-MS technique. There are two key areas that I would like to highlight:

  1. Automation of SIFT-MS –  Thanks to Ray Perkins (Anatune CEO), Dan Carrier and Mark Perkins, integration of SIFT-MS with GERSTEL automation is a reality and this very high throughput solution is being adopted globally! No longer is SIFT-MS only a continuous monitoring instrument or one that needs manual sample analysis.
  2. New application of SIFT-MS –  From residual monomer analysis using multiple-headspace extraction (MHE) to high-end flavour analysis, Mark Perkins and Kathy Ridgway have led the way with fantastic new applications of SIFT-MS.

And this progress is increasingly evident in the marketing that Anatune is undertaking, with regular presentations at technical meetings, new application notes (and SnApp notes), and a massive contribution to Syft’s webinars.  Just look here to see the huge contribution that Anatune has made in dissemination of SIFT-MS via this medium!  Having been more involved in marketing over the last couple of years, it has been a great privilege to work with Ray Perkins and Sue Roach in this area.

To conclude: it has been a tremendous privilege to work closely with such a high-calibre distributor over the last three years. Watch this space as Mark Perkins and I work toward multiple technical publications this year, as well as introducing amazing new applications via webinars and application notes.

Thanks Anatune!

It is always very nice to be appreciated!

But, it is good to remember that all successful partnerships are two-way streets – and in that regard, we at Anatune have learnt an incredible amount ourselves.  It is no exaggeration to say that when I joined Anatune three years ago, my knowledge of SIFT-MS was limited, to say the least! it is through the many fruitful, interesting and, most definitely, informative conversations and collaborations that we have had with all of Syft’s staff members over the last three years, that we are in the fantastic position we are in now.  Here’s to many more…