🔬 GC-MS · ICP-MS · HPLC · FTIR · XRF · Deformulation · Failure Analysis · 19 Industries

Materials Analysis

What the industry needs — experience, resolution and the right instrumentation.

Biogroup's materials analysis laboratory identifies unknown substances, deformulates products, diagnoses process problems and characterises industrial raw materials — with state-of-the-art instrumentation and analysts who have worked in leading industrial laboratories for over 20 years. Our speciality in handling complex matrices differentiates us from the competition.

We start with a small research programme, put it into practice and solve the problem for you as quickly as possible with the best available technology. We analyse the most complex matrices.

19 industries
Supported sectors
Complex matrices
Our speciality
20+ years
Industrial lab experience
GC-MS · ICP-MS · HPLC
Analytical instrumentation
The industrial problems we solve — five common scenarios
We know perfectly the problems that industry faces every day
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You need to know what substance is causing problems in your process — but you cannot identify it.
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You want to know the formulation of a product or at least its basic components — deformulation analysis.
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You need to determine which of two substances you use in your process contributes better to its quality — comparative analysis.
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Your product does not turn out as expected — you need to understand why and how to correct it.
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A regulated substance appears above specification in your final product — you need to find the cause and a solution.
In all these cases: we start with a small investigation programme, put it into practice and solve the problem as quickly as possible with the best available technology.
Analytical capabilities — the instrumentation behind the answers
State-of-the-art laboratory equipment for the most complex industrial analyses
Most of Biogroup's analysts have worked in laboratories of leading industries for more than 20 years — the experience to know which technique to apply to each problem, and the instrumentation to apply it effectively.
GC-MS
Gas Chromatography — Mass Spectrometry
The reference technique for identification and quantification of organic compounds in complex matrices. Separation by GC followed by mass spectral identification against NIST library (75,000+ compounds). Suitable for volatiles and semi-volatiles: solvents, monomers, plasticisers, residual reactants, degradation products, contaminants.
Typical applications:
Unknown organic identification · solvent residues · process contaminants · flavour/odour compounds · polymer additives · deformulation of organic products
GC-FID
Gas Chromatography — Flame Ionisation Detection
High sensitivity, reproducible quantification of organic compounds — particularly hydrocarbons, solvents and fatty acids. Faster and less expensive than GC-MS for known compounds when identification is not required. Also applied for MOSH/MOAH mineral oil fractionation in food contact material analysis.
Typical applications:
Solvent purity · hydrocarbon fractionation · fatty acid profiles · mineral oils (MOSH/MOAH) · process monitoring
ICP-MS
Inductively Coupled Plasma — Mass Spectrometry
Multi-element analysis at trace and ultra-trace levels — detection limits in the parts-per-trillion (ppt) range for most elements. Simultaneous determination of up to 70 elements in a single analysis. Isotope ratio capability for source tracing. The most powerful technique for elemental characterisation of complex industrial matrices.
Typical applications:
Trace metal contaminants · catalyst residues · heavy metals in products · elemental impurities (ICH Q3D) · raw material specification testing · source tracing
ICP-OES
Inductively Coupled Plasma — Optical Emission Spectrometry
Simultaneous multi-element analysis at major and minor concentration levels (ppm range). Complementary to ICP-MS for higher-concentration applications. Preferred for digested solid matrices where ICP-MS suffers from matrix interferences. Rapid, robust and cost-effective for routine elemental work.
Typical applications:
Process water elemental analysis · alloy composition · soil digests · high-matrix industrial samples · QC of raw materials
HPLC-UV/DAD
High Performance Liquid Chromatography — Diode Array Detection
Separation and quantification of non-volatile and thermally labile compounds. UV/visible detection with full spectral information from diode array detector. Applied to pharmaceutical actives, food additives, preservatives, antioxidants, dyes, polymers and polar organic compounds that cannot be analysed by GC.
Typical applications:
Pharmaceutical actives · food additives · preservatives · dyes · polymers · polar contaminants
HPLC-MS/MS
High Performance Liquid Chromatography — Tandem Mass Spectrometry
The highest-sensitivity, most selective technique for trace-level quantification of polar organic compounds in complex matrices. Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) provides sub-ppb detection with near-zero matrix interference. Essential for pesticide residues, pharmaceutical trace impurities, endocrine disruptors and other regulated trace contaminants.
Typical applications:
Glyphosate · pesticide residues · BPA · pharma impurities · emerging contaminants in complex matrices
AAS/AAS-HG
Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (flame, graphite furnace, hydride generation)
Single-element technique with excellent sensitivity for specific metals. Graphite furnace AAS (GFAAS) reaches detection limits comparable to ICP-MS for specific elements. Hydride generation AAS is the method of choice for arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium, tellurium and tin at trace levels.
Typical applications:
As · Se · Hg (CVAAS) · Pb · Cd in specific matrices · verification analysis
FTIR
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Rapid identification of organic and inorganic compounds by their molecular 'fingerprint'. Non-destructive analysis. Solid, liquid and gas-phase capability. ATR-FTIR for surface analysis and thin films. Polymer identification, contaminant screening, functional group analysis and product authentication — results in minutes.
Typical applications:
Polymer identification · unknown material screening · product authentication · surface analysis · functional group characterisation
Problem-solving services — what we do with the data
🔍 Identification of unknowns
Systematic identification of unknown substances in process streams, raw materials, finished products and environmental samples. Combined GC-MS / FTIR / ICP-MS screening against compound databases and expert interpretation.
✓ Process contaminants causing quality failures
✓ Unknown peaks in chromatograms or spectra
✓ Unidentified deposits, precipitates or residues
✓ Odour and off-flavour compounds
🧩 Deformulation & reverse engineering
Determination of the formulation or principal components of a product of interest — competitor products, reference materials, legacy formulations. Not complete molecular reconstruction, but identification of functional components, active ingredients, additives and key ratios.
✓ Lubricant and cutting fluid formulation
✓ Polymer additive package identification
✓ Coating and paint component analysis
✓ Legacy product reformulation support
⚠️ Failure analysis & root cause
When a product does not meet specification — colour, odour, texture, reactivity or regulatory compliance — Biogroup investigates the cause. Systematic approach: raw material characterisation → process step analysis → finished product comparison → root cause identification → corrective action recommendation.
✓ Out-of-specification products
✓ Batch variability investigation
✓ Supplier raw material quality issues
✓ Cross-contamination investigation
📊 Raw material characterisation
Complete physicochemical characterisation of raw materials for supplier qualification, incoming QC, specification setting and conformity verification. Comparison between supplier batches to identify the one that best contributes to product quality.
✓ Supplier qualification testing
✓ Certificate of analysis verification
✓ Multi-supplier comparative analysis
✓ Specification development support
🏭 Process analytical support
In-process and finished product analytical support for industrial processes — monitoring reaction progress, verifying conversion rates, tracking impurity profiles and providing the analytical data that process engineers need to optimise yield and quality.
✓ Reaction monitoring by GC/HPLC
✓ Impurity profile tracking
✓ Process optimisation data
✓ Cleaning validation support
📋 Regulatory compliance testing
Analysis of regulated substances in industrial products — REACH SVOC screening, RoHS restricted substances, heavy metals in consumer products, food contact material migrants and pharmaceutical elemental impurities per ICH Q3D.
✓ REACH SVHC substances of very high concern
✓ RoHS restricted substances
✓ ICH Q3D elemental impurities
✓ Heavy metals in consumer products
Complex matrix capability — our technical differentiator
Our speciality in handling complex matrices differentiates us from the competition
Complex matrices are samples where the analytical challenge is not the analyte — it is the matrix that surrounds it.

Standard analytical methods are validated for clean matrices — water, dilute solutions, simple solids. Industrial samples are never clean. They contain high concentrations of interfering compounds, surfactants, oils, polymers, inorganic salts and reactive species that destroy columns, clog nebulisers, suppress ionisation and produce false results in the hands of analysts who lack industrial experience.

High-viscosity matrices
Lubricants · heavy oils · bitumen · polymers — requiring special dilution and extraction protocols
High-salt matrices
Brine · industrial wastewater · electroplating baths — matrix matching and dilution strategies
Polymer & elastomer matrices
Extraction of additives, plasticisers and stabilisers from solid polymer matrices
Biological matrices
Blood · tissue · animal feed — extraction, cleanup and analysis of industrial contaminants
Reactive matrices
Oxidising or reducing environments that require immediate stabilisation upon sampling
Low-analyte / high-matrix
Trace contaminants at ppb level in concentrated industrial products
Mixed solid waste
Industrial sludges · filter cakes · complex solid residues requiring total digestion
Multi-phase systems
Emulsions · slurries · biphasic systems — selective extraction of each phase
Materials and products we analyse
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Lubricants & oils
Formulation · degradation products · contamination · additive package
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Industrial chemicals
Purity · impurity profile · unknown identification · specification testing
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Metals & alloys
Composition · trace impurities · surface analysis · heat treatment effects
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Coatings & paints
Pigments · solvents · binders · heavy metals · VOC content
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Polymers & plastics
Additive package · plasticisers · monomer residues · degradation products
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Fuels & petrochemicals
Hydrocarbon composition · additives · contaminants · specification compliance
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Pharmaceutical raw materials
Active content · impurity profile · elemental impurities · ICH Q3D
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Agricultural inputs
Formulation · active ingredient content · impurities · stability
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Textiles & fibres
Dyes · finishing agents · restricted substances (REACH) · fibre composition
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Construction materials
Cement · concrete · asphalt · admixtures · trace elements
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Electronic & battery materials
RoHS substances · heavy metals · electrolyte composition
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Natural products & extracts
Active compounds · adulterants · heavy metals · pesticide residues
Industries we support — 19 sectors

Biogroup provides materials analysis support across the full spectrum of Argentine and international industrial sectors — from automotive and aerospace to food and biotechnology.

🚗Automotive
🧪Chemical
🧵Textile
🌾Grain / Cereal
🌻Oilseed / Edible oils
⚙️Metallurgical
⛽Petroleum
🏗️Steel
🍽️Food & Beverage
🏠Cement & Construction
⚡Energy
💊Pharmaceutical
✈️Aeronautics
🚀Aerospace
🚛Transportation & Logistics
⛏️Mining
🚬Tobacco
🔬Biotechnology
🏢Building materials
Related services
GC-MS · ICP-MS · HPLC · FTIR · XRF · Deformulation · Failure Analysis
What is causing problems in your process?
Contact us today to find out the different ways we can help — from unknown substance identification to deformulation, failure analysis and raw material characterisation. Complex matrices are our speciality.
Consult an expert →
📞 +54 341 425-6431 📞 +54 341 447-4486 ✉ biogroup@biogroup.com.ar 📍 3 de febrero 920 · Rosario, Argentina Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00