Elemental analysis of fish feed by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Accurate elemental analysis of fish feed is crucial for animal nutrition and environmental safety.
• Chromium is an essential element in fish diets but can be toxic at elevated levels.
• Traditional methods for elemental analysis can be time-consuming and require specialized laboratory equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a tool for multi-elemental quantification in fish feed.
• To specifically assess the accuracy of LIBS for determining total chromium content.
• To explore the potential of LIBS for real-time, in-field elemental screening of aquafeed.

Main Methods:

• Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to analyze aquafeed samples.
• Spectra from LIBS were used to model the concentrations of six elements: Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Cr, and Rb.
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed as the reference analytical method for validation.

Main Results:

• LIBS successfully quantified four macro-elements (Ca, Fe, K, Mg) and two micro-elements (Cr, Rb) in fish feed samples.
• LIBS predictions for elemental concentrations showed good agreement with reference ICP-MS analysis.
• The study demonstrated LIBS's capability for accurate multi-elemental analysis of aquafeed.

Conclusions:

• LIBS is a viable and efficient technique for the multi-elemental quantification of fish feed.
• The method shows particular promise for monitoring essential and potentially toxic elements like chromium.
• LIBS has the potential to be implemented as a field-deployable, real-time screening tool for fish feed quality assurance.