Preparation of Three New Certified Reference Materials for Food and Environmental Analysis and Certification Using Laboratory Intercomparison as well as Primary Reference Measurement Procedures

Halina Polkowska-Motrenko,Paweł Kalbarczyk,Iga Zuba,Zbigniew Samczyński,Agnieszka A Krata,Ewelina Chajduk,Marta Pyszynska,Bożena Danko,Rajmund S Dybczyński

doi:10.1007/s12161-021-02081-6

Abstract

Three new reference materials: MODAS-3 Herring Tissue (M-3 HerTis), MODAS-4 Cormorant Tissue (M-4 CormTis), and MODAS-5 Cod Tissue (M-5 CodTis) were prepared and certified on the basis of results of a worldwide intercomparison exercise. Independently of our proven method of establishing the certified and information values, the content of several essential and toxic elements was additionally determined by the use of ratio primary reference measurement procedures (definitive methods) based on radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) in the case of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mo, Se, and U and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) in the case of Hg, respectively. Good agreement of the established certified values and the results obtained by ratio primary reference measurement procedures confirmed the validity of the certification procedure. The total number of elements which could be certified amounted to 30, 21, 18 in M-3 HerTis, M-4 CormTis, and M-5 CodTis, respectively. The relative frequency of use of individual analytical techniques in this intercomparison campaign was calculated and discussed. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is now a dominant technique, followed by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), NAA, and emission spectroscopy (ES). The decreasing share of NAA as compared to several earlier intercomparison exercises should be noticed. NAA is the only method in the array of highly sensitive methods of inorganic trace analysis, which is essentially free from blank. The lack of this method in the foreseeable future may be an obstacle in the prospective certification campaigns and may endanger the implementation of quality assurance in trace analysis.

Highlights

Ecosphere is subject to constant evolution due to natural processes, local catastrophes as e.g. forest fire, tsunami, or eruption of volcanos and due to the human influence like mining, transport, and industrial activity, waste disposal, etc
The candidate reference materials were prepared in such a way that they met the requirements of ISO Guide 35 (ISO 35:2017 2017) and ISO 17,034 (ISO 17034:2016 2016)
The new materials described in this paper extend the number of available certified reference materials (CRMs) of biological origin by two new species of sea fish tissue and one of bird tissue, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Ecosphere is subject to constant evolution due to natural processes, local catastrophes as e.g. forest fire, tsunami, or eruption of volcanos and due to the human influence like mining, transport, and industrial activity, waste disposal, etc. Chinese scientists maintained that REE accumulated in plants may enter via the food chain the bodies of animals and humans and affect regulating some biological functions (Qiu et al 2005a, b). In this context, it is perhaps worth quoting the opinion of a medieval scientist and physician Paracelsus, reminded in the book describing the path of trace elements from soil to human (Kabata-Pendias and Mukherjee 2007), who wrote: “All substances are poisonous, there are none which is not a poison; the right dose is what differentiates a poison from a remedy”. One should remember that trace analysis is a difficult task, often consisting of several steps, and there are many occasions to commit grave errors (Dybczyński 2002a)

Methods

Results

Conclusion