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Updated: May 12, 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
[Study on the determination of 28 inorganic elements in sunflower seeds by ICP-OES/ICP-MS]
Hong-Wei Liu1, Zong-Hui Qin, Hua-Lin Xie
1College of Material and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Institute of Technology, Hengyang 421002, China. hwl0466@163.com
Abstract:
The present paper describes a simple method for the determination of trace elements in sunflower seeds by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS). HNO3 + H2O2 were used to achieve the complete decomposition of the organic matrix in a closed-vessel microwave oven. The contents of 10 trace elements (Al, B, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Si, P and S) in sunflower seeds were determined by ICP-OES while 18 trace elements (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, Sn, Sb, Ti, V and Zn) were determined by ICP-MS. The rice reference material (GBW10045) was used as standard reference materials. The results showed a good agreement between measured and certified values for all analytes. The concentrations of necessary micro elements Ca, K, Mg, P and S were higher. This method was simple, sensitive and precise and can perform simultaneous multi-elements determination of sunflower seeds.
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