About us

At Mass Spec we develop and provide trusted solutions for substance detection.

Mass Spec can provide equipment, laboratory, consultancy and expert witness services from our laboratory in Bristol to law enforcement and private companies that require forensic analytical technologies.

About Mass Spec

For over 20 years, Mass Spec Analytical Ltd. has been providing forensic analytical services and R&D capabilities to corporations and law enforcement organisations.

Since its inception, MSA has developed the innovative uses of mass spectrometry in forensics. It has introduced several breakthrough techniques including an individual banknote analysis technique that enables many thousands of individual banknotes to be analysed quickly and reliably (1996), opening a laboratory specialising in the profiling and characterisation of drug samples, the analysis of plastics and tapes for batch comparison, and the analysis of body fluids for alcohol content (2003).

Mass Spec’s laboratory has been inspected and accredited for analytical services meeting the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Mass Spec’s continued work on banknote analysis has resulted in the compilation of a vast database of drugs on banknotes. This is believed to be the largest database of currency in the world. Mass Spec strives to be at the forefront of cutting edge research and development and enjoys an international reputation based on work performed on behalf of a number of companies and British, Canadian, Japanese and US government agencies.

Technology & techniques

MSA strives be in the forefront of forensic analysis; developing novel techniques whenever new challenges arise within their specialist fields.

MSA pioneered the individual banknote technique and is the only company in the UK to offer this service, applying it to the detection of traces on a vast range of samples. This technique uses innovative technology developed in-house by our highly experienced team of chemists and engineers.

Using modified, off the shelf triple quadrupole mass spectrometers, a range of sampling devices has been specially developed to tackle a number of forensic analytical challenges, including the analysis of clothing, vehicles, fabrics, boarding passes or tickets, mobile telephones and banknotes.

Learn more

Contact Mass Spec Analytical on +44(0)117 428 5787

Email: service@msaltd.co.uk