Pesticides and natural products chemistry

The department has the largest collective expertise within pesticide chemistry in Norway. The activities include applied research of pesticides in the environment, bioactive compounds and analysis of pesticides, plant- and mycotoxins and other organic substances in food and environmental samples.

Central research topics and tasks are:
 
  • Food safety: Analysis and capacity building in pesticides and plant toxins in food and feed of plant origin.
  • Contribute to sustainable agriculture through monitoring and research on fate and occurrence of pesticides and natural toxins in the agroecosystem (plants, water, soil, sediment).
  • Natural products chemistry: Metabolite profiling of plants and microorganisms, screening for natural toxins etc.
  • Analysis of a range of organic chemicals customized for the needs of specific research projects (bioactive natural products, plant volatiles, organic pollutants etc).
 
The department holds the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for analysis of pesticide residues in food and feed of plant origin and has a national R&D responsibility for pesticides in the environment. We perform monitoring and R&D work for the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, as well as competitive research and analysis projects for a wide range of customers.
 
 
LC-MS-MS analyse ef-20160502-134848
Photo: Erling Fløistad

 
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Field trial to investigate run-off from pesticides. Kjelle, Bjørkelangen i Aurskog-Høland municipality in Akershus. Photo: Ole Martin Eklo
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Laboratory equipment to analyse run-off from pesticides and other liquids in streams and rivers close to farmland. Photo: Roger Holten.