Heavy Metal Testing

Lead and other heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, and mercury are all considered toxic and have adverse health effects in human metabolism. Accumulation of heavy metals in the food chain can occur by bio-concentration e.g. from water or the food source. Main intake sources of heavy metals are fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables, nuts and cereals. In the case of lead, drinking water is also of major importance. Since the toxicological effects of heavy metals and arsenic on babies and infants are of special relevance, the safety of baby food is also in the spotlight. Heavy metals testing in food has thus become a very significant aspect of food safety.

There are mainly three heavy metal test methods: X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (X-ray); Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). ICP-MS and AAS are highly sensitive and accurate. But they are very expensive and they require professional operator and very long time for sample digestion. X-ray is easy to operate, but its performance is not stable. What’s more, it requires calibration before test and it can not test Lead.

Now we adopt new advanced technology: Electrode Voltammetry (EV) for testing lead and cadmium in rice. Simply 5mins for sample preparation, another 5mins for test.