Analysis of Plant Materials Using the ICPMS-2030

Significance of Topic

Accurate determination of mineral nutrients and trace toxic elements in plant materials is critical for food safety monitoring and nutritional assessment. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry provides a comprehensive approach to quantify multiple elements with high sensitivity and minimal sample loss.

Aims and Study Overview

This study evaluated the performance of the Shimadzu ICPMS-2030 for simultaneous quantitative and qualitative analysis of tea leaf samples. Objectives included digestion optimization, calibration curve measurement of key elements, and assessment of the system’s ability to identify additional elements postrun.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Sample preparation employed microwave-assisted closed-vessel digestion using the Milestone ETHOS-One system. Each 0.2 g tea leaf aliquot was treated with 0.5 mL HCl and 6.5 mL HNO3, then digested under a six-step temperature program reaching up to 180 °C. After cooling, the digest was diluted to 100 mL and spiked with internal standards Ga, In, Co, Sc and Bi at 10 μg/L.

Analytical Results and Discussion

Quantitative analysis of major and trace elements was conducted using external calibration curves. Key findings included:

• High recovery rates of 92–102 % for nutrients such as P, Ca, Mg and micronutrients Mn, Fe, Zn.
• Accurate quantitation of toxic elements As, Cd, Pb and Cr at sub-μg/g levels.

Qualitative postrun analysis based on the ICPMS-2030 database identified over 40 additional elements including lanthanides, noble metals and ultra-trace species, demonstrating the advantage of profile measurement for retrospective screening.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Simultaneous multielement quantitation and qualitative screening in a single run reduce analysis time and resource consumption. This approach supports routine quality control in food laboratories, environmental monitoring of plant-derived materials and research on nutrient uptake and heavy metal accumulation in agriculture.

Future Trends and Opportunities

Advances in ICPMS could include automated data processing for expanded retrospective analysis and integration with separation techniques for speciation studies. High-resolution instruments and collision/reaction cell technologies may further reduce interferences, enabling even lower detection limits for emerging contaminants in plant matrices.

Conclusion

The Shimadzu ICPMS-2030 combined with microwave digestion provides an efficient platform for comprehensive elemental analysis of plant samples. Quantitative results met quality criteria and qualitative capabilities uncovered additional elements without prior standards. This methodology supports broad applications in food safety, environmental science and nutritional research.

Used Instrumentation

• Shimadzu ICPMS-2030 inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer
• Milestone ETHOS-One closed-vessel microwave digestion system