Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages

Abstract

This 2017 review discusses developments in elemental mass spectrometry, atomic absorption, emission and fluorescence, XRF and LIBS, as applied to the analysis of specimens of clinical interest, foods and beverages. Sample preparation procedures and quality assurance are also included.

Abstract

This review covers publications from the second half of 2015 to the middle of 2016. Techniques and applications relevant to clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages are discussed in the text, presenting the key aspects of the work referenced, while the tables provide a summary of the publications considered. An important development seen within the year is the way in which nanomaterials feature in many of the topics considered in this review. With nanoparticles used as antibacterial agents (containing Ag) in medical devices and in food packaging materials, as vehicles for delivering drugs to tissues and cells and in horticulture, methods for analysis of various sample types that may contain nanomaterials have been developed. Properties of nanoparticles and nanotubes were also exploited for analyte preconcentration in measurement procedures. The implications of recent regulations relating to concentrations of trace elements in infant foods, arsenic in rice and methyl mercury in seafoods were evident, with methods specifically developed with these challenges in mind. Emerging topics to look out for in coming years include applications using triple quadrupole ICP-MS and portable XRF spectrometers.