Preparation of Three New Certified Reference Materials for Food and Environmental Analysis and Certification Using Laboratory Intercomparison as well as Primary Reference Measurement Procedures

Abstract

AbstractThree new reference materials: MODAS-3 Herring Tissue (M-3 HerTis), MODAS-4 Cormorant Tissue (M-4 CormTis), and MODAS-5 Cod Tissue (M-5 CodTis) were prepared and certified on the basis of results of a worldwide intercomparison exercise. Independently of our proven method of establishing the certified and information values, the content of several essential and toxic elements was additionally determined by the use of ratio primary reference measurement procedures (definitive methods) based on radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) in the case of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mo, Se, and U and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) in the case of Hg, respectively. Good agreement of the established certified values and the results obtained by ratio primary reference measurement procedures confirmed the validity of the certification procedure. The total number of elements which could be certified amounted to 30, 21, 18 in M-3 HerTis, M-4 CormTis, and M-5 CodTis, respectively. The relative frequency of use of individual analytical techniques in this intercomparison campaign was calculated and discussed. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is now a dominant technique, followed by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), NAA, and emission spectroscopy (ES). The decreasing share of NAA as compared to several earlier intercomparison exercises should be noticed. NAA is the only method in the array of highly sensitive methods of inorganic trace analysis, which is essentially free from blank. The lack of this method in the foreseeable future may be an obstacle in the prospective certification campaigns and may endanger the implementation of quality assurance in trace analysis.