Food materials contain an abundance of elements that need to be identified and deemed healthy before consumption. Our products have the highest analytical accuracy and precision enable academic and scientific research from lab to field.
The elements critical for the quality and safety of a material are often present in very low concentrations. This requires highly sensitive instrumentation for the determination of elemental composition.
As there are different elements in many different samples, there is a number of techniques more or less suitable for elemental analysis of a sample of interest.
XRF is a non-destructive technique for the determination of elemental composition. A primary X-ray source radiates the sample causing excitation. The sample consequentially emits fluorescent (or secondary) X-ray which is measured by the instrument. Each element produces a specific set of fluorescent X-rays. This set is unique for a given element and is thus called “a fingerprint”.
If a sample has many elements present, which is often the case, a wavelength dispersive spectrometer can be used, which allows the separation of complex emitted X-ray spectrum into wavelengths characteristic for a specific element.
Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is based upon the detection of wavelengths of light absorbed by an element (usually 190 nm to 900 nm). The AA spectrometer consists of a light source, a sample cell to atomize the sample and a detector. As a source of light, several lamps are typically used for different elements.
Inductively coupled plasma spectrometry is a technique used for elemental analysis and trace analysis. The sample is injected into argon gas plasma in a liquid form. Solid samples require a preparation step prior to injection, such as extraction or acid digestion, but liquid and gas samples can be injected directly.
The sample solution gets converted to an aerosol which is quickly vaporized by ICP at a temperature of approximately 10 000 K. Elements are liberated as free atoms and possibly converted to ions. Both atoms and ions are promoted to the excited state. The photons emitted from these species are measured by optical spectrometry.
Safe food is of primary concern to everyone. The recent prevalence of contaminants and adulterated, counterfeit or fraudulent food has led to an increase in public awareness and government regulations. Although newsworthy cases highlight contaminants at high levels, even low concentration levels can be dangerous such as arsenic (As) in baby food or selenium (Se) in solid and liquid supplements.
No food manufacturer wants heavy metals or other dangerous elements to end up in their products. However, they can enter production through intentional or incidental adulterants, such as lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) in colorants or arsenic (As) and bromine (Br) from pesticides. It’s important to ensure these contaminants are not present at any stage of food production.
Transportable TXRF spectrometer for ultra-trace (sub-ppb) elemental analysis of very small sample amounts in the ng or µg range: low operating cost.
Excellent analytical performance for elemental analysis with cutting edge technology in a compact size.
The CS-r with up to 4 infrared cells is designed for carbon and sulfur measurement over a very wide concentration range. It uses a horizontal resistance furnace with ceramic tube, which operates in a range from 600 °C to 1550 °C.
The SCION Artemis 6000 Amino Acid Analyzer is as a turn-key solution complete with a sophisticated HPLC system, ready-to-use buffers, reagents and columns. The Artemis 6000 combines the advantages of the classical ion exchange separation methods with the modern techniques of HPLC.
Offers a seamless merger between optical observation and elemental analysis functions, revolutionizing the world of micro-analysis and establishing micro-XRF as a routine tool for the research and analytical scientist.