Discover Food Safety and Quality

Heavy Metals in Food

"Detect and measure levels of heavy metals that may cause cancer, neurological issues and cardiovascular disease when consumed is very important. PerkinElmer offer standard methods to:

Quantify the level of arsenic in baby foods and juices
Test for the presence of lead, mercury, and other dangerous metals in nutraceuticals
Screen for cadmium in farmed fish and aquaculture feeds
Meet regulatory requirements limiting nickel in all areas of the food and beverage industries

Our proven ICP-OES and ICP-MS instrumentation for heavy metal detection and analysis eliminates interferences between elements, allowing scientists to process more samples with greater speed while meeting regulated detection levels."

Heavy Metals in Food Related Content

Heavy Metals in Food Related Content

The Analysis of Copper, Iron, and Manganese in Wine with FAST Flame Atomic Absorption

This work demonstrates the ability of the PinAAcle 900 flame AA spectrometer to measure Cu, Fe, and Mn in wines to comply with Chinese wine import regulations coupled with FAST Flame sample automation for increased throughput.

Accurate Determination of Lead in Different Dairy Products by Graphite Furnace AA Spectrometry

The performance of this method was validated by assessing the Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and China National Institute of Metrology (NIM) as well as by comparing these results with those obtained using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after complete sample digestion by microwave method

Arsenic Speciation Analysis in Rice Following Method GB 5009.11-2014 to Ensure Safety

Rice represents a dietary staple for over half of the world's population. However, in recent years, concerns have been raised over the presence of high levels of arsenic (As), where this carcinogenic metalloid can be accumulated at levels far exceeding ambient concentrations. Since China is the world's largest producer of rice, the Chinese government released a national standard method in 2014 for food safety – GB 5009.11– to aid the evaluation of As species in rice and rice products. In this document, HPLC-ICP-MS is identified as the preferred analytical technique. In this study, five arsenic species were characterized in a commercial rice sample and certified reference material using a gradient anion-exchange method in accordance with GB 5009.11. The analysis was performed using a PerkinElmer NexSAR™ HPLC-ICP-MS speciation solution, consisting of a NexSAR inert HPLC coupled to a NexION® ICP-MS.

Fast Digestion Analysis of Lead and Cadmium in Rice Using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption

Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are common pollutants in grains and are extremely toxic. Pb is harmful to human organs even at trace levels, and once it accumulates in the body, it causes inhibition of hemoglobin formation and neurological disorders. Cd is even classified as human carcinogen [Group 1 - according to International Agency for Research on Cancer]. It is reported that Cd leads to severe kidney problems which can be fatal and is also associated with brittle bones and liver problems. Rice, as the most widely consumed cereal grain in Asia/China, can quickly pick up Pb and Cd from toxins, pesticides and fertilizers in the soil, thereby endangering the health of millions of people through their diet. Therefore, it is extremely important to develop a simple, reliable method to monitor the levels of Pb and Cd in rice. According to Chinese national standard GB 2715-2016 Hygienic Standard for Grain, the maximum concentrations of Pb or Cd in grains must be below 0.2 mg/kg; the allowable level in the European Union is the same [EC 1881/2006]. The official technique for the determination of heavy metals in both cases is graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS, GB/T 5009. 12-2017, GB/T 5009-2017. 15 and EN 14083:2003). Samples can be pretreated using various methods, including microwave digestion, hot block digestion, dry ashing, and hot plate digestion. It is found that these conventional digestion procedures are always complicated and time-consuming (two-four hours or even longer). Plus, conventional sample preparation techniques require large quantities of corrosive and oxidizing reagents, increasing the chance for contamination which could lead to inaccurate results. Special PTFE vessels are needed for microwave digestion; however, reusable utensils might also cause cross contamination.

Fast Digestion Analysis of Lead and Cadmium in Rice Using GFAAS with Deuterium Background Correction

Toxic elements, such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), are entering the food chain through environmental contamination. Rice, as the most widely consumed cereal grain in Asia, can quickly pick up Pb and Cd from soil, thereby seriously endangering human health through diet. These toxic element levels need to be carefully monitored. Maximum levels of Pb and Cd are strictly regulated in Asian countries, especially in China; therefore, it is extremely important to develop a simple, reliable method for trace levels of Pb and Cd in rice. The allowable maximum levels of Pb and Cd in grains in EU and China are required to be below 0.2 mg/kg (Commission Regulation EC 1881/2006 and Chinese GB 2715-2016 Hygienic Standard). Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) is the officially recommended technique for detection of trace elements in various food stuffs (GB/T 5009.15-2017, GB/T 5009. 12-2017 and EN 14083:2003). Food samples are usually pretreated before GFAAS analysis using various methods: microwave digestion, hot block digestion, dry ashing, and hot plate digestion. These conventional digestion procedures are usually complicated and time-consuming (2-4 hours or longer). Plus, they require large quantities of corrosive and oxidizing reagents, increasing the chance for contamination which could lead to inaccurate results. However, fast digestion can effectively speed up the sample preparation procedure while reducing the use of corrosive reagents and the chance for contamination.

Elemental Analysis of Grains with the NexION 300/350 ICP-MS

This work focuses on the analysis of grains - both the low-level contaminants as well as the macro-level nutritional elements - using ICP-MS.

Arsenic Speciation Analysis in Brown Rice by HPLC-ICP-MS Using the NexION350D

This work demonstrates the ability to separate and measure arsenic compounds present in brown rice samples by selection of proper HPLC and ICP-MS conditions. The resultsof this work correlate very well with those of the other organizations participating in the study. These results prove that the combination of Flexar HPLC and NexION ICP-MS issuitable for the analysis of different forms of arsenic in brown rice.

Arsenic Speciation Analysis in White Rice by HPLC- ICP-MS Using the NexION 350D

This work has demonstrates the ability to separate and measure arsenic compounds present in rice. Sample preparation involves a non-aggressive extraction procedure to preserve the species as much as possible. The chromatography separates all species in less than four minutes using an isocratic method and is unaffected by the rice matrix. The results of the separation were validated by comparing the speciated and total results. These results prove that the combination of Flexar HPLC and NexION ICP-MS is suitable for the analysis of different forms of arsenic in white rice.

The Elemental Analysis of Meat and Seafood with the NexION 300/350 ICP-MS

The elemental content of food products is very important, both in relation to nutritional and toxic elements. Nutritional elements can either be native to the food substance or can be added to enhance the health benefits. Toxic elements can enter food either through the environment or processing during production. Hopefully, toxic elements will be present at extremely low levels, while nutritional elements will be present at optimal levels. The elemental capabilities and dynamic range of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) make it ideally suited for the analysis of food materials. This work has demonstrates the ability of PerkinElmer’s NexION 300/350X ICP-MS to effectively measure macro-level nutritional elements in the same analysis run as lower-level elements, without having to dilute the samples.

Quantification of Essential Metals in Spice Mixtures for Regulatory Compliance Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

There is an increasing need to monitor the essential element levels in food samples at ever decreasing concentrations. For this purpose, very sensitive, yet rapid and inexpensive methods are necessary. The quantification of trace metals in food samples has routinely been carried out by ICP-OES, ICP-MS, graphite furnace atomic absorption (GFAA) and flame atomic absorption (FAA). Compared with other techniques, FAA has the characteristics of good precision and simplicity with lower cost and minimum operator proficiency.

Trace Elemental Characterization of Edible Oils with Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer

The determination of the inorganic profile of oils is important because of the metabolic role of some elements in the human organism. On the one hand, there is knowledge of the food's nutritional value, which refers to major and minor elements.

Heavy Metals in Food Related Technologies

Tweets by PerkinElmer

Ask a Food Expert

Where to Buy