Determination of Mercury in Seafood by Flow Injection–Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometry after Microwave Digestion: NMKL Interlaboratory Study

• Published in: Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL
• Main Authors: Julshamn, Kaare, Brenna, Jan, Åsman, B, Ekman, A, El-Ghauoui, A, Gjerstad, K-O, Grønningen, D, Hammer, S H, Jensen, A M, Liukkonen-Lilja, H, Mikkola, J, Ruth, T, Sedal, L O, Solli, B, Venalainen, E-R, Wollertsen, N
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2002
• Subjects: Gadus morhua
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jaoac/85.3.626; http://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-pdf/85/3/626/32416507/jaoac0626.pdf

Abstract Ten laboratories participated in an interlaboratory method-performance (collaborative) study of a method for the determination of mercury in foods of marine origin by flow injection–cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry after wet digestion using a microwave oven technique. The study was preceded by a training round of samples of known identity. The method was tested on a total of 7 seafood products: blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), cod muscle (Gadus morhua), crab (Cancer pagurus), scampi (Nephrops norwegicus), black scabbard fish (Aphnopus carbo), longnose velvet dogfish (Centroscymus crepidater), and Portuguese dogfish (Cenbroscymus coelolepis) with mercury concentrations of 0.14, 0.24, 0.35, 0.59, 1.42, 4.2, and 13.2 μg/g, respectively. The materials were presented to the participants in the study as blind duplicates, and the participants were asked to perform single determinations on each sample. Repeatability relative standard deviations (RSDr) for mercury ranged from 2.4 to 14.0%. Reproducibility relative standard deviations (RSDR) ranged from 7.7 to 16.6%. HORRAT values for all samples were <1.0.