[Modified microdiffusion method for fluoride analysis of foodstuffs]

In fluoride analysis, there are two procedures for the determination of fluoride depending on nature of samples. One procedure directly can determine fluoride contents by fluoride ion electrode, dissociating fluoride from the sample with the acid (perchloric acid). The other procedure needs to separate fluoride from biological sample using steam-distillation or micro-diffusion method, and then the determination by means of fluoride ion electrode can be applied. In this study, we applied a modified microdiffusion method by Hinoide (1990) for its availability in different temperatures and reaction time, and then estimated to determine fluoride contents of Shrimp (Sakura-shrimp) as a biological sample by this method. It is also very important to determine fluoride contents of foodstuffs and biological samples with regard to bioavailability of fluoride in vivo. The results were as follows: 1. Using the modified microdiffusion method, the fluoride recovery rate attained more than 95% in the range of 0.1-10 micrograms fluoride from a standard solution under the experimental condition of 60 degrees C and 90 degrees C of reaction temperatures and 60, 90 and 120 minutes of reaction time. 2. For the sample of shrimp, fluoride contents analyzed by means of the modified micro-diffusion and steam-distillation methods showed almost similar values, although the fluoride contents by steam-distillation method revealed relatively lower value. The difference might be derived from a loss of fluoride in ashing the sample before applying the steam-distillation method. The modified microdiffusion method used in this experiment can be utilized routinely and precisely in fluoride analysis for small amounts of biological sample.