Purge and trap method for determination of ethylene dibromide in table-ready foods

An improved method has been developed for the determination of ethylene dibromide (EDB, 1,2-dibromoethane) in a variety of table-ready foods. Samples are mixed with water and sparged with nitrogen for 1 h with stirring in a water bath at 100 degrees C. The EDB collected on the adsorbent Tenax TA is eluted with hexane and determined by gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture (EC) and confirmed with Hall electrolytic conductivity (HECD) detection using a second GC column. The highest levels of EDB were also confirmed by full scan GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Twenty-five table-ready foods from the Food and Drug Administration's Total Diet Study that were analyzed by this method exhibited levels up to 70 ppb (pecans). Recoveries from fortified samples ranged from 91 to 104%. Values from this procedure were compared to those obtained by a modified Rains and Holder codistillation method. In all 25 samples this purge and trap procedure showed equivalent or superior recoveries and detected levels of EDB.     

Purge and trap method for determination of fumigants in whole grains, milled grain products, and intermediate grain-based foods

A method developed for the determination of 1,2-dibromoethane in whole grains and grain-based products has been modified and expanded to include 8 other fumigants. Samples are stirred with water and purged with nitrogen for 0.5 h in a water bath at 100 degrees C. The fumigants are collected on a trap composed of Tenax TA and XAD-4 resin, eluted with hexane, and determined by gas chromatography (GC) using electron capture detection or Hall electrolytic conductivity detection. Flame photometric detection in the sulfur mode is used to determine carbon disulfide. Thick-film, wide-bore capillary columns were used exclusively in both the determination and confirmation of the halogenated fumigants. The higher levels of fumigants are also confirmed by full scan GC/mass spectrometry. Samples are analyzed for carbon disulfide, methylene chloride, chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, 1,2-dibromoethane, and tetrachloroethylene. A total of 25 whole grains, milled grain products, and intermediate grain-based foods analyzed by this method contained fumigant levels up to 51 ppm (carbon tetrachloride in wheat). Recoveries from fortified samples ranged from 82 to 104%. Chromatograms from this purge and trap method are clean, so that low parts per billion and sub-parts per billion levels can be quantitated for the halogenated analytes. The quantitation level for carbon disulfide is 12 ppb.     

Purge and trap method for determination of ethylene dibromide in whole grains, milled grain products, intermediate grain-based foods, and animal feeds

An improved method has been developed for the determination of ethylene dibromide (EDB; 1,2-dibromoethane) in whole grains, milled grain products, intermediate grain-based foods, and animal feeds. Samples are mixed with water and sparged with nitrogen for 1 h with stirring in a water bath at 100 degrees C. The EDB collected on the adsorbent Tenax TA is eluted with hexane and determined by gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection (ECD) and confirmed with Hall electrolytic conductivity detection (HECD) using a second GC column. The highest levels of EDB were also confirmed by full scan GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 24 whole grains, milled grain products, intermediate grain-based foods, and animal feeds analyzed by using this method contained EDB levels up to 840 ppb (wheat). Recoveries from fortified samples ranged from 90 to 105%. Values from this method were compared with those obtained from the acetone soak method; for all 24 samples, this purge and trap method gave equivalent or superior recoveries and detected levels of EDB. Chromatograms for this purge and trap method were clean, enabling a quantitation level of 0.5 ppb to be achieved.     

Improved method for determination and identification of serotonin in foods

A previously described method to identify and quantitate serotonin in foods has been improved. The extraction and separation of serotonin from interfering substances has been improved, and the scope of material to which the method may be applied has been widened. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for repeated determinations of serotonin in canned fried tomato purée and the average recovery of serotonin added to the same sample was 6.25 and 89.9%, respectively. The method showed the presence of serotonin in apricots, cherries, and peaches.     

Simplified method for determination of total dietary fiber in foods

A simplified method, based on the same principles as the AOAC enzymatic-gravimetric method for determining total dietary fiber (TDF) (43.A14-43.A20), has been tested on 12 food samples which had been used in other collaborative studies. TDF values obtained in our laboratory for these 2 methods were in good agreement (y = 0.96x + 0.39; r = 0.999). The simplified method uses a single incubation period and only 1 enzyme (amyloglucosidase), and thus yields smaller blank and ash corrections but a higher protein correction.     

Multiresidue method for quantitative determination of organophosphorus pesticides in foods

A multiresidue method for the quantitative determination of organophosphorus pesticides in foods from the Food and Drug Administration's Total Diet Study is described. The organophosphorus pesticides are separated on the basis of polarity and determined in both fatty and nonfatty foods with a minimum of interferences. The foods analyzed included raw and cooked individual foods as well as combination dishes, water, and whiskey. Recoveries of 17 organophosphorus pesticides in 41 foods ranged from about 80 to 118%.     

Anion-exchange method for determination of phytate in foods: collaborative study

Phytate, a naturally occurring organic compound found in plant seeds, roots, and tubers, was determined in a collaborative study using a modified anion-exchange method. Seven samples (peanut flour, oats, rice, isolated soybean protein, a vegetarian diet composite, wheat bran, and whole wheat bread), supplied as blind duplicate samples, were analyzed in triplicate by 7 collaborators. Phytate concentrations in the samples ranged from 2.38 to 46.70 mg/g. Relative standard deviations (RSD = CV) for repeatability ranged from 2.5 to 10.1%, and for reproducibility, from 4.5 to 11.0%. The method has been adopted official first action.     

Improvement in the determination of mancozeb residues by the carbon disulfide evolution method using flow injection analysis

The sample decomposition of the carbon disulfide evolution method for the determination of dithiocarbamate residues was carried out in a closed vial in the presence of hexane. The evolved carbon disulfide was extracted by the organic solvent and injected in a flow system for its quantification as copper complex. The conditions for batch decomposition, flow injection determination, and association of both were investigated with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate as model substance. An one-channel flow system was employed where the carrier stream was the ethanolic ethylenediamine/copper solution. The determination range was of 0. 01-1.26 microg of CS(2), with a relative standard deviation of 0.06% (n = 10), with a sample throughput of 45 samples/h. The association of the batch decomposition with the flow system was carried out with the fungicide mancozeb and was applied to the analysis of its residue in potato, lettuce, cucumber, and green bean crops. The approach allowed the analysis of 11 samples in triplicate in 2 h, with recoveries between 85% and 92% and relative standard deviation about 2%.     

Optimized Monier-Williams method for determination of sulfites in foods: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-optimized Monier-Williams method for determining sulfites in foods. Twenty-one industry and government laboratories participated in the study, which was jointly sponsored by the National Food Processors Association and FDA. Familiarization samples were shipped to each collaborator. Collaborators were permitted to proceed to the main study only after they demonstrated ability to perform the method to ensure that the study tested the performance of the method itself and not that of the individual laboratories. The study design involved 3 food matrixes (hominy, fruit juice, and protein [seafood]). Each matrix was prepared at 3 sulfite levels--the regulatory level, half the regulatory level, twice the regulatory level--and as a blank. All test samples were analyzed as blind duplicates, which gave each collaborator a total of 24 test portions. Collaborative recoveries gave a reproducibility (among-laboratories) coefficient of variation that ranged from 15.5 to 26.6% for sulfite determined as SO2 by weight in the 3 foods at the 10 ppm level. The optimized Monier-Williams method has been approved interim official first action to replace the AOAC modified Monier-Williams method, 20.123-20.125.     

Improved method for determination of volatile nitrosamines in baby bottle rubber nipples and pacifiers

A method is described for determining volatile nitrosamines in baby bottle rubber nipples and pacifiers. The method consists of overnight soaking of the sample with dichloromethane in the presence of propyl gallate, an inhibitor for artifactual formation of nitrosamines; extraction with dichloromethane using an ambient temperature column procedure; distillation from aqueous alkali; extraction of the aqueous distillate with dichloromethane and concentration of the extract using a Kuderna-Danish concentrator; and final analysis by gas chromatography with detection by thermal energy analyzer. Major improvements over other published methods include a simpler extraction, a more efficient distillation and concentration to minimize losses, and incorporation of propyl gallate inhibitor as well as of a test to detect unsuitable dichloromethane solvent that otherwise might lead to artifactual formation. The method is highly accurate (approximately 90% recovery) and precise (av. CV = 4.7% at greater than 9 ppb levels) and is applicable to determination of nitrosamines in both rubber- and plastic-based products.     

Improved method for the determination of hydroxymethylfurfural in baby foods using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

An improved analytical method for the rapid, reliable, and sensitive determination of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in baby foods is described. It entailed aqueous extraction from food matrix with simultaneous clarification using Carrez I and II reagents, solid-phase extraction cleanup using Oasis HLB, and analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A narrow-bore column allowed fast chromatographic separation with good resolution of HMF and matrix coextractives. In positive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization conditions, precursor and compound-specific ions were sensitively detected in selected ion monitoring mode. Sample preparation with efficient cleanup followed by fast chromatographic analysis allowed the analysis to be completed in <20 min. Recovery ranged between 91.8 and 94.7% for spiking levels of 0.25, 1.0, and 5.0 mg/kg HMF in cereal-based baby foods. The method was shown to be successful when using liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet detection at 285 nm.     

A quantitative stable-isotope LC-MS method for the determination of folic acid in fortified foods

A stable-isotope liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) assay was developed for the quantitative determination of folic acid in fortified foods. Folic acid was extracted from food samples into a phosphate buffer, purified on a C-18 Sep-Pak cartridge, and analyzed by LC-MS in the negative ion mode using electrospray ionization. The analyte was quantified using (13)C(5)-folic acid as an internal standard. The coefficient of variation for the precision of the method was 5.6% based on the analysis of four sample replicates. The accuracy of the method was assessed using a standard method of addition of folic acid to a shredded whole-wheat cereal. The quantitative determination of folic acid in this matrix was linear over 1 order of magnitude having a concentration range of 2.4 to 24 microg/g of food (or 0.05 to 0.5 microg of analyte injected into the LC-MS). The overall quantitative efficiency of the method was evaluated using a standard reference material (infant formula SRM 1846). The method was applied to the determination of folic acid in several test samples (fortified breakfast cereals), and the values were in accord with the manufacturer's claim. This method advances a LC-MS technique for the determination of folic acid in fortified foods based on stable-isotope dilution methodology. The specificity of the technique and quantitative accuracy of the method in various food substrates suggests that the method may be adapted for routine analysis in other fortified foods.     

Simple, rapid method for determination of total extractable fat in canned pet foods

The rapid column method described, unlike AOAC method 7.056, determines both neutral ("crude") and total fat in canned pet foods, and uses nonflammable solvent mixtures and simple laboratory equipment. Neutral fat values are obtained by eluting the column with dichloromethane, whereas total fat values are determined by using dichloromethane-methanol (9 + 1). For 7 samples analyzed in triplicate, fat ranged from 2.9 to 10.8%. Neutral fat values by the dry column method were significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than were those by 7.056 (6.29 vs 6.49), although these differences were practically unimportant. Total fat determinations by the dry column method and by 7.056 yielded overall means of 7.40 and 6.49%, respectively. The 0.91% mean difference is significant (P less than 0.01) and represents a more complete extraction of polar lipids by the proposed method.     

Liquid chromatographic-electrochemical determination of ethylenethiourea in foods by revised official method

AOAC official method 29.119-29.125 was revised to determine ethylenethiourea (ETU) directly by a liquid chromatographic-electrochemical (LC-EC) determinative technique and to improve ETU recovery. ETU is extracted from food products with a methanol-aqueous sodium acetate solution. A portion of the concentrated filtrate is added to a column of diatomaceous earth, and ETU is eluted with 2% methanol in methylene chloride to separate it from food coextractives, which are retained on the column. The eluate is collected in a siliconized flask and evaporated, the residue is dissolved in water, and 20 microL of solution is injected onto an LC graphitized carbon column. ETU is eluted from the LC column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-aqueous 0.1M phosphoric acid-water (5 + 25 + 70), and the eluted ETU is detected by using an amperometric electrochemical detector equipped with a gold/mercury working electrode. Recovery data were obtained by fortifying 13 food products with ETU: baked potatoes; canned applesauce, mushrooms, creamed spinach, green beans, spinach, and tomatoes; cooked fresh cabbage and frozen collards; fresh celery and lettuce; grape jelly; and powdered sugar cake donuts. Raw celery was found to cause low ETU recoveries. Average percent recoveries of ETU from the other 12 food products were 92 with a standard deviation of 12 for the low (0.05 and 0.1 ppm) fortification levels and 90 with a standard deviation of 6 for the higher (0.5 and 1 ppm) fortification levels. The limits of quantitation were 0.01 and 0.02 ppm for food products with low and high sugar content, respectively.     

Comparison of the ion exclusion chromatographic method with the Monier-Williams method for determination of total sulfite in foods

Experimental data comparing the alkali extraction/ion exclusion chromatographic method with the Monier-Williams method for determination of total sulfite are presented in (a) enzymatic and nonenzymatic browning systems, (b) vegetables containing naturally occurring sulfite, and (c) a carbohydrate-type food additive, erythorbic acid. Excellent agreement, with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.99, was observed in fresh potato samples homogenized with sulfite and allowed to react for different time intervals (enzymatic browning system). A good overall correlation was observed in dehydrated, sulfited apple samples heated for different times (nonenzymatic browning system); however, as heating time increased, higher results were obtained by the Monier-Williams method than by the alkali extraction/ion exclusion chromatographic method. The results of determining sulfite in the alkali trapping solution following acid distillation or acid treatment without heat suggested that this deviation was due to a fraction of sulfite bound to the browning reaction products in such a way that it was released by acid distillation but not by alkali extraction or acid treatment without heat. Similar behavior was demonstrated in cabbage with naturally occurring sulfite, which was released by acid distillation but not by alkali extraction or acid treatment without heat. The ion exclusion chromatographic method could overcome interference by the volatile caramelization reaction products in the Monier-Williams determination of erythorbic acid.     

Interference by tin in AOAC dry-ash voltammetric method for determination of lead and cadmium in canned foods

When lead and cadmium were determined in samples of canned food by the AOAC anodic stripping voltammetric method, an interference was observed which was believed to be tin(IV). This interference could cause false positive results for lead and cadmium. The electroactivity of tin(IV) was suppressed by increasing the concentration of tartaric acid in the supporting electrolyte from 0.005M to 0.1M after mixing with an equal volume of sample solution.     

A new rapid and accurate method for the determination of carbon in soils

The most reliable method for determining carbon in soils is the dry combustion method, the technique of which was established for the first time by JUSTUS von LIEBIG in 1831 and for nearly a century his combustion technique, essentially unmodified save for improvements in materials, constituted the standard method for determination of carbon and hydrogen. PREGL (1), in his publication on organic microanalyses in 1916, reported an excellent method in which a carbon determination could be carried out in an hour with a sample of only a few milligrams. After that, his method was improved in many respects by many investigators (2,3). Since these methods require, however, both complicated and expensive apparatus as well as trained personnel and are time-consuming, they are not considered to be suitable for practical use in soil research laboratories at all.     

A rapid and precise method for routine determination of organic carbon in soil

Abstract

A simple method for routine determination of organic carbon in soil by a modified Mebius procedure is described. It involves (a) digestion of the soil sample with an acidified dichromate (K₂Cr₂O₇‐H₂SO₄) solution for 30 minutes in a Pyrex digestion tube in a 40‐tube block digester preheated to 170°C and (b) estimation of the unreacted dichromate by titration of the cooled digest with an acidified solution of ferrous ammonium sulfate with use ofN‐phenylanthranilic acid as an indicator. The method is more rapid and precise than the Mebius procedure commonly used for routine analysis of soils for organic carbon, and the only equipment required for its use is equipment now commonly used for routine Kjeldahl analysis of soils for total nitrogen.