Agilent Measurement of Macro and Trace Elements in Plant Digests Using the 7500c ICP-MS System

Measurement of Macro and Trace Elements in Plant Digests Using the 7500c ICP-MS System Application

Author grains such as wheat and rice is resulting in a nutritionally poor diet. Micronutrient [1] malnutri-

Kazuo Yamanaka

tion is an identified problem that has coincided

Agilent Technologies with the rapid adoption of modern cereal cropping Nakacho 1-15-5 systems. Profitable and sustainable agriculture Musashino-shi depends on the understanding of the nutrients

Tokyo 180-8543 required and available for plant growth, as well as Japan the nutrients for a balanced human diet.

Fred Fryer “World food production will need to double over Agilent Technologies the next 30 years to keep pace with increasing

12/2 Eden Park Drive, demands from both industrialized and rapidly North Ryde NSW 2113 developing countries. As well as the need to Australia increase production, there will be an increase in demand for higher quality and healthier food prod- ucts as developing countries become more

Abstract affluent.”

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is a pow- Taken from the Commonwealth Scientific and erful tool for the investigation of many materials. The Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) website: Agilent 7500c with Octopole Reaction System was used to http://www.csiro.gov.au (select: analyze major, minor and trace elements in two standard Agribusiness/Field Crops/Field Crops & Australia)

reference plant materials. The data obtained using the

Human dietary micronutrients are required by

7500c is compared to the certificate reference values and

humans in very small amounts. They include at

to results that were generated using inductively coupled

least 14 trace elements (As, B, Cr, Cu, F, I, Fe, Mn,

plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Results for all ele-

Mo, Ni, Se, Si, V, Zn) as well as 13 vitamins (thi-

ments obtained using the 7500c agree with the

amin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin,

certified values.

folic acid, vitamins B6, B12, C, A, D, E, K)

Introduction The recommended daily intake of the micronutri- ent trace elements is of the order of:

The reliable measurement of trace elements in food

mg per day for B, Cu, F, Fe, Mn, Zn

is becoming more important as information is

µg per day for As, Cr, I, Mo, Ni, Se, Si, V

revealing that over-dependence on processed