Preparation and certification of novel high-protein food certified reference materials

In response to the growing market for alternative high-protein foods, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has produced a series of five new certified reference materials (CRMs) including insect-based (black soldier fly larvae, cricket flour, and mealworm powder; BFLY-1, KRIK-1, and VORM-1) and plant-based proteins (canola meal and seaweed powder; CAME-1 and GSEA-1), in addition to the newest iteration of the fish protein CRM, DORM-5. Data for the mass fractions of up to 33 trace and essential elements were obtained for each material, along with speciation data for arsenic and selenium. Values for each analyte are presented on the materials' Certificates of Analysis, on a dry mass basis, and include estimates of their expanded uncertainties corresponding to 95% confidence (k = 2). Herein, we describe the methods involved in the characterization campaigns for these materials, including the steps taken to overcome associated analytical challenges. We also describe a new approach to consensus value determination, via bias correction of measured results based on the quality control measurement of several similar-matrix CRMs, followed by the use of the Laplace random effects model for data combination.