anorganische_Kontaminanten


Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants

Arsenic and the heavy metals lead, cadmium and mercury are apparant in all parts of the environment. The sources for the heavy metal immissions are partly of natural origin (volcanoes, weathering), partly anthropogenic as a consequence of industrialisation (fumes, waste water, special waste and car exhausts). The heavy metals find their way into vegetable food through intake from the soil or water, or atmospheric sediments and even further into animal food. In the case of improperly produced cans, tin may migrate from those cans into the contained food.

Is your product toxicologically safe and in compliance with all legal requirements?

Being the Centre of Competence for the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants within the global Eurofins Group, we offer to examine various metals and trace elements in a great variety of food and feed. Additionally, we carry out the analysis of radioactivity in food samples, e.g. the radionuclide caesium-137 is part of our portfolio.


Your Contact for all Enquiries Concerning the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants

Nadja Flüchter
Nadja Flüchter

State Certified Food Chemist
Analytical Service Manager Inorganic Contaminants
Phone: +49 (0)40 492 94 2922
NadjaFluechter@eurofins.de

Eurofins | WEJ Contaminants

 

 

 

Our Parameters for the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants
  • the most relevant heavy metals
    - arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, tin
  • further metals and elements
    - aluminium, antimony, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, indium, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, neodym, nickel, palladium, phosphorous, platinum, potassium, rhodium, rubidium, selenium, silver, silicon, sodium, strontium, sulphur, tellurium, thallium, thorium, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, yttrium, zinc, zirconium
  • radioactivity / radionuclides
    - caesium-134 and caesium-137
    - iodine-131
    - further radionuclides on request
Do you need any further information about the analysis of inorganic contaminants? Please contact us.

 

 

 

Relevant Products
Food
NON-Food
  • Tobacco and tobacco products
  • Animal feed
  • Pet food
... and many others - just don't hesitate to ask!

 

 

 

Cutting-edge Laboratory Equipment for the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants
Sample preparation
  • pressure digestion device according to Tölg
  • microwave digestion device
Analytical devices/Measuring methods
  • Zeemann graphite-furnace AAS
  • cold-vapour AAS
  • ICP-OES
  • (high-resolution) ICP-MS
  • γ-spectrometers with high-resolution germanium-semiconductor and sodium iodide-scintillation detectors

 

 

 

Our Most Important Methods and Reference Procedures for the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants

  • Determination of trace elements in food part 3: determination of lead, cadmium, chromium and molybdenum by GFAAS after pressure digestion
    Official reference method according to § 64 German Food and Feed Law (LFBG) L 00.00-19/3, 2004-07
  • Determination of trace elements in food part 4: determination of mercury by AAS cold vapour technique after pressure digestion
    Official reference method according to § 64 German Food and Feed Law (LFBG) L 00.00-19/4, 2003-12
  • Determination of lead by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS)
    DIN 36406-E6, 1998-07
  • Determination of cadmium by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS)
    DIN EN ISO 5961 E19, 1995-05
  • Water quality: determination of mercury (AAS procedure)
    DIN EN 1483-E12, 2007-07
  • Determination of selected trace elements by ICP-AES
    DIN EN ISO 11885 E22, 1998-04
  • Determination of calcium, sodium, phosphor, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, arsenic, lead and cadmium by ICP-AES
    DIN EN 15510, 2007-10
  • Determination of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead by ICP-MS
    DIN EN 15763 Draft, 2008-02
  • Water quality - application of ICP-MS: part 2: determination of 62 elements
    DIN EN ISO 17294-2 (E29), 2005-02
  • Determination of inorganic arsenic
    ASU nach § 64 LFGB L 25.06-1 (modified), 2008

 

 

 

Proficiency Testing for the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants

The Competence Centre for Inorganic Contaminants regularly checks and verifies its high analytical quality by participating in a number of international proficiency testings of various providers and organisations (e.g. FAPAS, AOCS, IRMM). These are performed for the most important metals and elements in the appropriate matrices.

Number of proficiency testings for all inorganic contaminants 2006 - 2010

 

 

 

Publications and Announcements Concerning the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants
Eurofins Food Testing Newsletter
in brief (2012)EU tightens radioactivity levels for imports from Japan.
(Eurofins Food Testing Newsletter No 39 - July 2012).
Anders Svaneborg, Eurofins Environment, Denmark (2011): Analysis of heavy metals in food and feed at ultra-low levels.
(Eurofins Food Testing Newsletter N° 37 - November 2011).
Dr. Susanne Rathjen and Nadja Flüchter, Eurofins WEJ Contaminants GmbH, Germany (2011): Radioactivity testing.
(Eurofins Food Testing Newsletter N° 36 - July 2011).
Dr. Katrin Hoenicke, Eurofins WEJ Contaminants GmbH, Germany (2010): Differentiation of inorganic and organic arsenic in food and feed.
(Eurofins Food Testing Newsletter N° 34 - November 2010).
Eurofins Web News
EU tightens maximum levels for food and feed imports from Japan (April/2012).
High Resolution ICP-MS (September/2011).
EU again tightens radiation limits for food and feed imports from Japan (April/2011).
New EU Regulation 297/2011 regarding food and feed imports from Japan (April/2011).
Eurofins informs about the determination of food for radioactivity (März/2011).

 

 

 

Our Network in the Area of the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants
  • National Associations
    - Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker GDCh - Arbeitsgruppe Elemente und Elementspezies
    (Society of German Chemists - Working Committee Elements and Species of Elements)

 

 

 

Our Brochures and Flyers concerning the Analysis of Inorganic Contaminants

Radioactivity testing in food [PDF 170 Kb]

Arsenic in Food [PDF 143 Kb]