The Determination of Major and Trace Elements in Milk using ICP-Q-MS

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Milk is known worldwide as being a high source of Calcium and Potassium and contains essential elements such as iron, copper and zinc. ICP-Q-MS offers a powerful method for the determination of analytes in milk and milk products. This application note describes a method in which, the Thermo Scientific™ iCAP Q™ ICP-Q-MS was used, coupled with a Thermo Scientific ICS-5000 for subsequent speciation determinations, to determine these analytes.

Multi-elemental analysis of milk can determine whether milk is meeting the expected nutritional requirements or is lacking either due to regional soil deficiencies in the case of cow milk or poor diet in the case of breast milk. Alternatively, the analysis of trace elements that are toxic in nature can alert us to the possible risk of contamination in milk.

As the sole source of nutrition for young babies and as a major constituent of the diet for older babies and toddlers, nutritionists are also eager to investigate the differences in bioavailability of some of the essential elements. As bioavailability is dependent on the chemical form of the element, speciation analysis is perceived as the most promising approach to identifying the differences between various types of milk samples.

To find out more, download the method here.