Preparation of liquid milk for proficiency test and internal quality control for chemical elements in food

Abstract

Laboratories dealing with the analysis of food of animal origin have to face the shortage of both appropriate certified reference materials and pertinent proficiency tests (PTs). Therefore, internal quality control (IQC) materials have to be prepared in-house. The combination matrix/analytes/concentration, as well as the physical state, is a key issue. The European Union Reference Laboratory for Chemical Elements in Food of Animal Origin (EURL-CEFAO), within its activity as PT provider, has set a procedure to prepare test items of liquid milk spiked with arsenic, cadmium and lead at adequate values of concentration. This work describes in detail the steps of this procedure. Homogeneity and stability of the PT test items thus prepared were evaluated by the EURL-CEFAO using a sensitive and accurate method accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025. The analyte concentrations in spiked milk were found stable up to 18 months which is of particular interest for cadmium due to the low value of spiking (roughly 5 μg/kg). The outcome proves that the procedure used to prepare liquid milk spiked with chemical elements is suitable to produce in-house reference materials stable enough for analytical purposes. Furthermore, this procedure is easy to perform and can be applied by routine laboratories to produce samples for their IQC.