WCPS: Determination of Nutrients and Micronutrients in Functional Foods

Significance of the Topic

Functional foods enriched with essential nutrients and micronutrients have surged in popularity due to consumer demand for dietary supplements that support immune health beyond basic nutrition. Accurate quantification of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and trace elements like iron, copper, zinc and manganese is critical for regulatory compliance, nutritional labeling and safety assessment.

Objectives and Study Overview

The study aimed to develop and validate a robust method for simultaneous determination of nine elements in elderberry-based immune support syrups and tablets. It adapts the FDA’s EAM 4.4 ICP-OES protocol and evaluates method accuracy, precision and stability using a standard reference material and spike-recovery experiments.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Sample preparation: Microwave-assisted acid digestion of functional food matrices in triplicate using 8 mL HNO₃ and 1 mL H₂O₂ per 0.5 g sample via CEM MARS 6 system.
• Instrumentation: Agilent 5900 Synchronous Vertical Dual View ICP-OES with SPS 4 autosampler, SeaSpray nebulizer, double-pass cyclonic spray chamber and 1.8 mm I.D. injector torch.
• Analytical features: SVDV for simultaneous axial (macronutrients) and radial (micronutrients) detection, IntelliQuant screening for rapid semi-quantitative profiling, and Fitted Background Correction for complex matrices.
• Calibration: Multi-element standards (0.01–500 ppm) yielding linear curves with correlation coefficients above 0.9996.

Main Results and Discussion

Validation using NIST 2385 Slurried Spinach SRM demonstrated recoveries within ±10% of certified values. Pre- and post-digestion spike tests in real samples showed recoveries between 90% and 110%. Long-term stability over a 10-hour run produced element recoveries within ±3% without quality control failures.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Streamlined workflow: simultaneous macro- and micro-element measurement halves analysis time.
• Regulatory compliance: meets FDA method requirements for accurate nutritional labeling.
• Robust matrix correction: FBC and IntelliQuant ensure reliable results in complex food samples.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Advances in ICP-OES detection, enhanced automation and integration with chemometric tools will enable rapid screening of additional elements, real-time quality control and broader application across diverse functional food products.

Conclusion

The validated Agilent 5900 SVDV ICP-OES method delivers accurate, precise and stable multi-element determination in functional foods, strengthening quality assurance and regulatory adherence for dietary supplements.

References

• Granato D., Barba F.J., Bursać Kovačević D., et al. Functional foods: product development, technological trends, efficacy testing, and safety. Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2020;11(1):93-118.
• Lordan R. Dietary supplements and nutraceuticals market growth during the coronavirus pandemic – implications for consumers and regulatory oversight. PharmaNutrition. 2021;18:100282.
• Grand View Research. Nutraceuticals market size & share report, 2021–2030.
• Mindak W.R., Dolan S.P. FDA Elemental Analysis Manual, EAM 4.4: ICP-AES determination of elements in food using microwave digestion. FDA; 2010.