Detection of Macro and Micro Nutrients in Potatoes using Elemental Analysis Techniques

Abstract

The elemental technique used for the detection of macro and micro nutrients in dry potato and fresh potato has been carried out in this research. Two techniques, namely Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX) have been employed. LIBS provides the spatial distribution of elements in the considered sample, while SEM with EDAX provide a quantitative percentage of elements in the sample. In the first technique, plasma is created in the sample (dry and fresh potato )when photons emitted from the laser source are impinged on the sample. The elemental distribution in plasma is captured using a spectrometer. Then, with the aid of NIST database, the relationship between wavelength and the intensity of the element is determined and the following observations are made by using origin pro tool. The major macro nutrients detected in the sample are nitrogen, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. The micro nutrients, namely sodium and iron are also detected. In the second technique, the samples are pulverized and placed in the sputtering instrument and scanned by SEM. From the scanned image,the macro and micro nutrient present in the sample are determined. The quantity of the element along with atomic percentage is determined. The investigation was extended to potato based food products, namely lays and potato chips. From the experiment, in addition to the macro and micro nutrient, toxic elements, namely lead and indium present in the sample have also determined. The fundamental point of this examination is to serve the cultivation plants to know the elements of the specific plants.