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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Preparation of Food Samples Using Homogenization and Microwave-Assisted Wet Acid Digestion for Multi-Element Determination with ICP-MS
Published on: December 22, 2023
Quantitative determination of multiple elements in botanicals and dietary supplements using ICP-MS
Bharathi Avula1, Yan-Hong Wang, Troy J Smillie
1National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677, USA.
Abstract:
A method was developed and validated for the analysis of 21 elements in various botanicals and dietary supplements using ICP-MS. Closed-vessel microwave digestion of botanicals and dietary products was assisted by various different procedures. The samples digested with concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acid (8:2) revealed the best recoveries (91-106%) using the reference certified materials (SRM 3280, SRM 1566b). The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, LOD, and LOQ. The LOD was found to be in the range from 0.005 to 1.09 ng/mL with the exception of potassium. Eleven botanicals and 21 dietary supplements were analyzed. Among the analyzed elements, K was the most abundant followed by Na, Mg, Al, Ca, Mn, and Fe, whereas V, Cr, Co, Ni, Se, Cd, Hg, and Pb were present in low concentrations in most of the samples. The results showed that the ICP-MS method is a simple, fast, and reliable for the multielement determination in dietary supplements and botanicals.
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