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Food Chemistry 73 (2001) 373±379

www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem

Analytical, Nutritional and Clinical Methods Section

Determination of ¯uoride in food by the use of


alkali fusion and ¯uoride ion-selective electrode
Marian Kjellevold Malde a,*, Kjell Bjorvatn a, KaÊre Julshamn b
a
University of Bergen, Faculty of Dentistry, Laboratory of Dental Research, AÊrstadveien 17, N-5009 Bergen, Norway
b
Directorate of Fisheries, Institute of Nutrition, PO Box 185 Sentrum, N-5804 Bergen, Norway

Received 2 May 2000; received in revised form 16 December 2000; accepted 16 December 2000

Abstract
A simple, rapid, and reliable method was developed for determination of ¯uoride in biological samples. Fluoride was determined
by alkali fusion and ¯uoride ion-selective electrode. The in¯uence of concentration and volume of sodium hydroxide as ashing aid,
sample weight, lifetime of the electrode and storage time of the sample solutions on analytical results were studied. Fluoride con-
tents of various marine biological samples and certi®ed reference material were determined. # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights
reserved.
Keywords: Fluoride; Alkali fusion; Fluoride ion-selective electrode

1. Introduction The procedure described in this paper is a modi®ca-


tion of a method proposed by Baker (1972). The main
Increasing awareness of food as a possible ¯uoride purpose of his method was to omit the time consuming
source has accentuated the need for more appropriate Willard±Winter distillation step (Willard & Winter,
analytical procedures for measuring ¯uoride in food 1933). This was done by combining NaOH fusion with
items. The ¯uoride selective electrode was designed to standard addition. McQuaker and Gurney (1977) and
measure ¯uoride ion activity in aqueous solutions (Frant Zarcinas (1979) both published modi®cations of Baker's
& Ross, 1966), and has proved to be a convenient and method by including samples of soil and vegetation.
ecient tool for analysing ¯uoride in water samples. The aim of the present study was to develop an ana-
However, getting ¯uoride in food into the necessary lytical method for determination of ¯uoride by alkali
water soluble ionic form has proved to be dicult. fusion and ¯uoride ion-selective electrode to be used by
Various methods for isolating ionic, complex and the Norwegian Food Control Authorities for analysing
covalent bound ¯uoride have been suggested. The most food and feed.
common methods for decomposition of biological
materials used are open ashing, fusion, oxygen combus-
tion and acid digestion (Haldinmann & Zimmerli, 1993). 2. Materials and methods
The ¯uoride concentration is most often determined using
an ion selective electrode or by gas chromatography. Sev- 2.1. Apparatus
eral publications using dry ashing with alkali as ashing aid
have shown that this method is well suited for analysing Biological samples were dry ashed in a Carbolite
¯uoride in plant and food materials (McQuaker & CWF 12/13 mu‚e furnace using 70 ml nickel crucibles.
Gurney, 1977; Singer & Ophaug, 1986; Stevens, An Orion ¯uoride ion-selective electrode (model 9609)
McLaughlin & Alston, 1995). Consequently, alkali was used for ¯uoride analysis together with an Orion
fusion was chosen as the ashing procedure in this study. Benchtop pH-meter/ISE meter (model 920 A) and a
magnetic stirrer. In addition, a Mettler balance (AG 204
* Corresponding author. Fax: +47-55-58-64-87. Delta Range), a hot plate (220 V, 200 W), a Shott-
E-mail address: marian.kjellevold@odont.uib.no (M. K. Malde). GeraÈter titrator (TitroLine 96), and 50-ml plastic tubes
0308-8146/01/$ - see front matter # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0308-8146(01)00118-2
374 M. Kjellevold Malde et al. / Food Chemistry 73 (2001) 373±379

(Sarstedt), were used for sample preparation prior to the sample solutions were transferred to 50-ml capped
analysis. plastic tubes.
The sample solutions were neutralised using con-
2.2. Samples centrated and then diluted hydrochloric acid. Con-
centrated hydrochloric acid was added drop-wise until
Three Certi®ed Reference Materials (CRM) in addi- the pH decreased from 12.0±13.0 to 8.0±8.5. A titrator
tion to two in-house reference materials were used in then adjusted the pH to 7.2±7.5 by adding dilute
this study. Fluoride in Vegetation (Timothy grass, hydrochloric acid. The titrator was calibrated using pH-
2695), from the National Institute of Standards and bu€ers 7.0 and 10.0. The sample solution was trans-
Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, MD, USA), was ferred to a 50-ml volumetric ¯ask (plastic) and diluted
provided at two concentrations (referred to as Timothy to volume with distilled water. The solutions were
high and Timothy low). Oyster tissue, 1566a, also pur- stored in 50-ml air-tight plastic tubes until analysed.
chased from NIST was available for use only in the Aliquots of 5 ml were taken out for analysis after the
early phase of the study, Prawns (GBW 08572) were ash had settled and the solutions were clear. Care was
purchased from State Bureau of Technical Supervision taken to avoid the settled ash. Before analysing, 0.5 ml
People's Republic of China. The two in-house reference TISAB III was added to obtain a pH of 5.2±5.4, which
materials used were cod ¯our (0271 Cod Powder) sup- is the optimal pH-range for ¯uoride determination.
plied by TORO A/S (Rieber & Sùn A/S, Bergen, Nor- Reagent blanks were always prepared together with the
way) and a tea sample (African Pride) supplied by samples and were brought through the whole proce-
Tanzania Tea Blender Ltd. (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania). dure. Reagent blanks were used for blank determination
Fluoride content of various samples; ®sh feed (0.6 and as well as for preparing the standard solutions with
1.0 mm), saithe (Pollachius virens), shrimps (Crangon ¯uoride concentrations of 0.100, 1.00 and 10.0 mg F /l.
septemspinosa), krill (Euphausia superba) and tea (Addis The standard solutions and sample solutions were ana-
tea, Tea Developing & Marketing Enterprise, Addis lysed using a ¯uoride ion-selective electrode. The elec-
Abeba, Ethiopia) were also analysed. trode was soaked in distilled water and blotted dry
before each measurement.
2.3. Reagents

All solutions were prepared with analytical-reagent 3. Results and discussion


grade chemicals and distilled water. The following
reagents were used: 8 mol/l sodium hydroxide solution, 3.1. Working procedures
prepared by adding 320 g NaOH pellets (Merck) to 1 l
of distilled water, and concentrated hydrochloric acid 3.1.1. Sample weight
(37%; sp. gr. 1.19), Merck. A 100 mg F /l ¯uoride stock The amount of sample needed for determining the
standard solution stabilised in NaF, TISAB III, and ¯uoride concentration in food depends on both homo-
bu€er solutions for pH calibration, purchased from geneity of the sample and the concentration of ¯uoride
Orion Research Inc (Boston, USA) were also used. present. The sample taken for analysis should be repre-
sentative of the whole sample, however, homogeneity is
2.4. General analytical procedure seldom a problem when working with CRM. When
using a routine method in a control laboratory, CRM
Samples of approximately 0.25- or 0.50-g samples, may be substituted by an in-house standard material of
depending on the expected ¯uoride content, were vegetable or animal origin in order to ensure the accu-
weighed to the nearest 0.0001 g directly into nickel cru- racy of the analytical method. The lower analytical quality
cibles. The samples were covered with 2.5 or 5.0 ml of 8 of authentic in-house standard samples compared to ver-
mol/l sodium hydroxide solution, depending on the i®ed CRM should, however, be kept in mind.
amount of sample weighed into the crucibles. The sample Most food items of vegetable origin have a relatively
and sodium hydroxide solution were carefully mixed. low ¯uoride content (Rao, 1984; Sherlock & Corr,
The crucibles were put on a hot plate for evaporation 1984). It is, therefore, advantageous to use sample
to dryness before they were covered and put into the weights of 1±2 g to ensure the quality of the analysis.
mu‚e furnace for combustion. The temperature pro- Experiments to determine the optimal sample weight
gram for the mu‚e furnace was set at 200 C for were carried out (Tables 1 and 2). The results show little
approximately 16 h after which the temperature was di€erence in concentration due to sample weight. Sam-
increased to 525 C and kept there for 3 h. The crucibles ples of 1 and 2 g were, however, dicult to handle. This
were cooled, 10±15 ml distilled water was added, and was mainly due to diculties in transferring the sample
the crucibles were put on a hot plate in order to aid the solution from nickel crucibles to plastic tubes as the ash
dissolution of the fusion cake. After approximately 2 h, adhered to the walls of the crucibles. This resulted in a
M. Kjellevold Malde et al. / Food Chemistry 73 (2001) 373±379 375

excessive sample volume because additional water was less acid for the neutralisation process. However, a
required for complete transfer of the ash. There was concentration of 8 mol/l NaOH, caused the fusion cake
also a relationship between sample size and the risk of to dissolve more easily in water, and is therefore, easier
spill-over when neutralising; the risk being higher with a to work with. Thus, 8 mol/l NaOH as ashing aid is
larger sample size. Due to these diculties, results were recommended.
not obtained for sample weights of 2 g (Table 2). The sample weight used in the experiment shown in
Stevens et al. (1995) found no di€erence in ¯uoride Table 3 was approximately 0.2 g and 2 ml of NaOH was
concentration in tea samples when sample weight was added to each sample. In the next experiment, the sam-
increased from 50 to 400 mg and using acid digestion. ple weight varied from 0.2±2.0 g (Table 2). Based on the
They found, however, that the ¯uoride concentration results from Table 3 and the fact that 2 ml 8 M NaOH
decreased signi®cantly with increasing sample weight was sucient to avoid loss of ¯uoride during the ashing
when using Timothy (high concentration) samples. process, we calculated the weight ratio of NaOH to
sample to be 3:1. According to Bock (1979) the weight
3.1.2. NaOH as ashing aid and sample weight ratio of hydroxide to sample usually is around 5±6:1,
Alkali was added to the samples prior to fusion to and occasionally even higher. The results given in
avoid loss of ¯uoride during the ashing process. Several Table 2 show little di€erence in the ®nal ¯uoride con-
publications have used NaOH with a molarity of 16 centration. The following volume and concentration of
mol/l (Baker, 1972; Singer & Ophaug, 1986; Stevens et NaOH are recommended for di€erent sample sizes: a
al., 1995). The in¯uence of molarity and NaOH volume volume of 2.5 ml of 8 mol/l NaOH for 0.25 g, and 5 ml
on the ®nal ¯uoride concentration was tested in a series of 8 mol/l NaOH for 0.5 g.
of experiments. The molarity of NaOH was varied from
4 to 16 mol/l (Table 3). The lowest ¯uoride concentra- 3.1.3. Ashing time
tions were found using 4 mol/l NaOH, no di€erence in For practical reasons, a long fusion time was chosen
¯uoride concentration could be detected between the at 200 C (Table 4). The preparation of samples for
samples treated with 8, 12 or 16 mol/l NaOH, respec- fusion takes approximately 1 working day. It is, there-
tively. As Oyster tissue is not a certi®ed material, and fore, convenient to put the samples in the oven over-
only carries an indicative value, no preference for night. A temperature of 300 C was tried out for the
molarity can be given based on the results. From a
purely economical point of view, a concentration of 4 Table 3
mol/l NaOH should be used. This would also require E€ect of NaOH concentration as an ashing aid on ¯uoride con-
centration in Oyster tissue (SRM-1566a)a
Table 1 N NaOH (mol/l) pH F (mg/kg) S.D.
E€ect of sample weight on the concentration of ¯uoride in Oyster tis-
sue (SRM-1566a) (n=2) using 2 ml 16 mol/l NaOH as ashing aid 2 4 11.4 245b
4 4 11.4 226 8
a
Weight (g) F (mg/kg) 10 4 11.5 192 28
3 8 12.5 283 11
0.0200 287
5 8 12.4 273 21
0.0400 274 3 12 13.0 278 20
0.0800 275 4 12 13.0 271 1
0.1600 286
10 12 12.8 321 21
0.2400 289 5 16 13.3 290 12
0.3000 240 6 16 13.2 289 17
a 14 16 13.0 284 15
Indicative value, 240 mg F/kg.
a
Measurements of pH was made before neutralisation with acid
Table 2 and addition of TISAB. Sample weights of 0.2 g were used. Indicative
E€ect of sample weight, volume and molarity of NaOH on the con- value, 240 mg F/kg.
centration of ¯uoride in cod ¯our (n=2) b
The fusion cake was dicult to dissolve 4 mol/l NaOH. Because
of this, one sample was rejected before neutralisation.
Sample weight (g) NaOH (ml) NaOH (mol/l) F (mg/kg)

0.2000 1.9 8 38
0.4000 3.8 8 45
0.6000 5.6 8 45 Table 4
0.8000 3.8 16 48 Temperature programme for the mu‚e furnace
1.000 4.7 16 43
Step Temperature ( C) Time (h)
1.200 5.6 16 45
a
2.000 9.3 16 1 20 0
a
2 200 16
Both samples were lost due to excessive sample weight and spill-
3 525 3
over during neutralisation.
376 M. Kjellevold Malde et al. / Food Chemistry 73 (2001) 373±379

second step of the ashing procedure (Table 4; results not tritrator was used. Shott-GeraÈter (1996) recommends
shown), but losses were seen because of problems with solutions with a molarity of 1 mol/l. In the present
spill-over and ash coating the crucibles. study, this molarity proved to be too strong to prevent
The in¯uence of ashing time at 525 C on ¯uoride the pH from ¯uctuating and dropping below 7.0. Fluo-
concentration in cod tissue was examined (Table 5). ride may then be lost as gaseous hydrogen ¯uoride. The
Little di€erence in ¯uoride concentration was found optimal molarity was found to be 7.7610 4 mol/l, but
when ashing at this temperature for 1, 2 or 3 h, respec- solely using this acid dilution resulted in an excessive
tively. It was, however, much easier to work with sam- ®nal sample volume. A coarse adjustment of the pH,
ples ashed for 3 h because the ash was ®ner in structure. using concentrated acid, was therefore chosen, and the
Based on these practical reasons, it was chosen to ash at titrator was subsequently used to ®nally adjust the pH
525 C for 3 h. to the correct level.
Keerthisinghe, McLaughlin and Randall (1991) found The ash should be mixed into the solution by using a
that the recovery decreased with fusion time. Highest magnetic stirrer before starting the neutralisation pro-
sample concentrations were, however, found after 2 h cess. If the solution is neutralised before the ash is
fusion. The samples used by Keerthisinghe et al. (1991; mixed, the pH has a tendency to ¯uctuate and drop
subterranean clover) were fused in a mu‚e furnace at below 7.0 It is also important to add the concentrated
600 C for 1, 2, 3 and 4 h and Na2CO3/NaB4O7 was used hydrochloric acid drop-wise to prevent spill-over.
to aid ashing. The neutralisation process is the most time consuming
step in ¯uoride analysis. Ideally, the titrator would
3.1.4. Neutralisation process complete the entire process of neutralisation without
The neutralising process was found to be a critical any need for continuous attention.
step in the preparation of sample solutions. Since
TISAB was not strong enough to adjust the pH in the 3.1.5. E€ect of storage time
sample down to the optimal pH range for ¯uoride analysis The stability of ¯uoride concentrations in the sample
of 5.0±5.5, acid was added. To simplify neutralisation, a solutions over time was examined using the proposed
method (Fig. 1). Aliquots of 5 ml from each sample
Table 5 solution (volume of 50 ml after neutralising and dilu-
Fluoride concentration (mg/kg) in cod tissue after ashing in a mu‚e tion) were added 0.5 ml TISAB and analysed once a
furnace at 525 C for 1, 2 and 3 ha week for 8 weeks. The results show that the ¯uoride
Ashing time (h) concentrations varied, but there were no trends of either
increasing or decreasing concentrations over this time
1 2 3 3
period. The precision given as standard deviation varied
Number (n) 5 6 6 5 between 2.2 and 5.5 mg F /kg, giving a RSD (%) of 3.8
F 40 45 43 44 and 7.7, respectively.
S.D. 4 4 6 2
Samples prepared for analysis at week one in Table 6
a
The ®rst two steps of the ashing procedure were done as described (sample added TISAB), were also analysed after one week
in Table 4. storage. The result was 64.1  4.4 mg F /kg (n=7).

Fig. 1. E€ect of storage time on ¯uoride concentration in samples of Timothy (SRM-2695); n=7. TISAB III added gave a pH of 5.20.1.
M. Kjellevold Malde et al. / Food Chemistry 73 (2001) 373±379 377

To test sample solution homogeneity, seven replicate The concentration of the blank value that was calcu-
aliquots of 5 ml were taken from the same sample solu- lated by the instrument is not given. As the ¯uoride
tion (cod tissue), TISAB was added, and samples were standards are diluted by reagent blanks in the present
analysed for ¯uoride. This gave a ¯uoride concentration method, it was found unnecessary to correct for a
of 39.3  0.5 mg F /kg. The ¯uoride concentration in blank. The calibration was therefore based on two-point
this sample seemed to be homogenous even after the ash calibration without a blank correction.
had settled. The results indicate a satisfactory stability
of the sample solutions over time. 3.1.7. Trueness (recovery)
To demonstrate the applicability of the present ana-
3.1.6. Standard curve lytical procedure, a series of experiments was performed
The standard curve of ¯uoride re¯ects the ratio to determine the recovery of added ¯uoride. The recov-
between the content of ¯uoride in a solution and the ery study gives information about possible interference
resulting measurement response. In preparing a stan- with ¯uoride from other analytes in the sample. The
dard curve, the following concentrations were used: amount of ¯uoride added should correspond to the level
0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 mg F /l. Thus, the normally present in the sample material.
¯uoride concentration chosen covers both sides of the Table 6 shows the e€ect of sample weight on the
working range (Fig. 2). The calibration curves (Fig. 2) recovery of added ¯uoride to di€erent samples. Recovery
show a linear relationship between ¯uoride concentra-
tion in the standards and mV-reading between 0.1 and Table 6
10 mg/l (from 1 to 1 using the log scale). This is in E€ect of sample weight on the recovery of spiked ¯uoride to Timothy
agreement with the Orion Instruction Manual (Orion, (SRM-2695), tea and cod ¯our (each series comprises ®ve sets of
replicates; n=5)
1991). The regression coecient for this range of the
curve was 0.999 for the 1997 curve and 0.997 for the Sample No. Sample F added F found Recovery
1998 curve (for three measuring points). The regression series weight (g) (mg) (mg) (%)
coecient (R) should be greater than 0.999 (NMKL, Timothy low 3 0.2500 0 16.1
1996). The tests depicted in Fig. 2 were performed with 16 31.7 98
the same electrode 15 months apart. The results show Timothy low 2 0.5000 0 32.8
that the electrode's regression coecient decreased with 32 66.0 104
Timothy high 3 0.2500 0 73.5
time and use. The response after 15 months was no
69 130 82
longer linear down to the concentration of 0.1 mg F /l. Timothy high 3 0.5000 0 126
According to producer, the electrode should last at least 138 238 81
for a period of 12 months. The decrease in the electro- Tea 1 0.2000 0 27.6
de's slope and increased drifting of readings are gradual 28 57.0 105
Cod 1 0.6000 0 24.5
processes. Care should therefore be taken if older elec-
30 47.3 95
trodes are used.

Fig. 2. Typical calibration curves obtained using a ¯uoride ion-selective electrode over a period of 15 months.
378 M. Kjellevold Malde et al. / Food Chemistry 73 (2001) 373±379

was within the range of 80±110%, which is acceptable 3.1.9. Limit of detection and limit of determination
(NMKL, 1996). As previously mentioned, Stevens et al. The mV values of standards varying from 0.0001 to
(1995) found signi®cantly decreased ¯uoride concentra- 10.0 mg F /l were determined and used for constructing
tions with increasing sample weight of Timothy (high a standard curve. The standard curve was not linear
concentration) samples. In contrast, there were no below the concentration of 0.1 mg F /l (Fig. 2). The
apparent di€erences in the recovery between the two ¯uoride concentration of the reagent blank was therefore
sample weights used in the present study. determined using the slope between 0.1 and 1.0 mg F /l.
The tea and cod samples were also analysed using This is the part of the standard curve used for deter-
distilled water instead of blank solution as dilutant mining the ¯uoride concentration in the food samples
when preparing the ¯uoride standards. The recovery of analysed in this study. Two di€erent ¯uoride ion-selective
¯uoride added to tea samples and cod samples electrodes (A and B) were tested using the same blank
decreased to 72  5% for the tea samples and 76  7% solutions, 15 months apart (Table 8). New blank solutions
for the cod samples, respectively. This is not surprising were prepared and analysed with both electrodes the
as the standard solutions should have a composition as second time. Electrode A had been used frequently
close as possible to the sample solutions. between the measurements, while electrode B had been
A weakness of using Timothy for validating purposes stored according to instructions given by the producer
is that the ¯uoride concentration in this material is high, (Orion, 1991).
compared to the concentration expected in most food The limit of detection (LOD) is de®ned as the amount
items. However, the use of CRM available for ¯uoride of ¯uoride corresponding to the lowest measurement
is of great value when validating analytical methods, signal which, with a certain statistical con®dence, may
and there are few certi®ed ¯uoride reference materials be interpreted as indicating that the analyte is present in
available. Several methodology studies on ¯uoride the solution, but not necessarily allowing exact quanti®-
determination in biological material, have also used cation (NMKL, 1996). LOD was calculated to be three
recovery tests as proof of trueness. It is important to times the standard deviation of the average blank (n=15).
bear in mind that recovery tests o€er limited control of Electrode B showed a higher LOD (0.04 mg/ml) than
systematic error. A recovery test is not sucient to tell electrode A (0.02 mg/ml), and the limit increased during
whether or not total ¯uoride has been determined, but storage. For electrode B, the LOD was in both cases
rather that ¯uoride added, usually as sodium ¯uoride, above the limit of 0.02 mg F /l given by the producer
has not been lost through the analytical process. (Orion, 1991).
The limit of quanti®cation (LOQ) is de®ned as the
3.1.8. Precision (repeatability) lowest amount of ¯uoride in a sample that can be
The repeatability of a method is evaluated by analys- quantitatively determined with a certain con®dence
ing replicate samples, in the same laboratory, using the (NMKL, 1996). LOQ was calculated as 10 times the
same equipment and within a short time period standard deviation of the average reagent blank.
(NMKL, 1996). Since precision depends on the con- For electrode A, the LOQ was lower after 15 months.
centration of the analyte, materials with a concentration Despite correct storage, LOQ of electrode B also
ranging from 5.3 to 280 mg F /kg were analysed in the decreased over time. Electrode B had too high a LOQ to
present study (Table 7). Table 7 shows precision given be used for analysing most food samples, even when it
as RSD (%) ranged from 2.2 for high ¯uoride sample was new.
and 6.2 for low ¯uoride sample. The quality of electrodes varies, and correct storage
may not be sucient to maintain electrode e€ectiveness.
These results support the importance of testing the
electrodes in use on a regular basis. It is advisable to
make a control card based on a control material.
Table 7
Fluoride concentrations (meanS.D.) in Certi®ed Reference Materi-
als (mg/kg dry sample)

Sample type n Mean S.D. RSD Certi®ed


Table 8
(mg/kg) (mg/kg) (%) valuea
Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quanti®cation (LOQ) for the
(mg/kg)
described method using two electrodes A and B
Prawns (GBW-8572) 4 4.8 0.3 6.2 5.310.39
Electrode n LOD LOD LOQ LOQ
Timothy low (SRM-2695) 10 66 5 7.0 64.08.4
(mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/kg) (mg/kg)
Timothy high (SRM-2695) 10 260 10 5.5 27727
May 1997 August 1998 May 1997 August 1998
Oyster tissue (SRM-1566a) 10 280 10 2.2 240b
a
A 15 0.022 0.015 0.072 0.051
Mean and 95% con®dence interval. B 15 0.036 0.061 0.117 0.203
b
Informative value only.
M. Kjellevold Malde et al. / Food Chemistry 73 (2001) 373±379 379

Table 9 Acknowledgements
Fluoride concentration (mg F /kg dry wt.) in various samples using
the described method
The advice and support of Ketil Malde and Anne-
Sample Latin name n F found Katrine L. Haldorsen regarding the manuscript pre-
(mg/kg) paration is greatly appreciated.
Fish feed (1.0 mm) 2 32
The project has partly been funded by NUFU grant
Fish feed (0.6 mm) 2 79 61/96.
Saithe Pollachius virens 2 60
Shrimp (meal) Crangon septemspinosa 3 84 References
Shrimp (meal) C. septemspinosa 3 147
Shrimp (meal) C. septemspinosa 2 318 Baker, R. L. (1972). Determination of ¯uoride in vegetation using the
Krill Euphausia superba 4 1137 speci®c ion electrode. Analytical Chemistry, 44, 1326±1327.
Addis tea 2 536 Bock, R. (1979). A handbook of decomposition methods in analytical
chemistry. London: International Textbook Company.
Frant, M. S., & Ross, J. W. (1966). Electrode for sensing ¯uoride ion
activity in solution. Science, 154, 1553±1554.
Haldinmann, M., & Zimmerli, B. (1993). Evaluation of ashing proce-
dures for the gas chromatographic determination of ¯uoride in bio-
logical material. Analytica Chimica Acta, 282, 589±601.
Keerthisinghe, G., McLaughlin, M. J., & Randall, P. J. (1991).
Improved recovery of ¯uoride in plant material using a low tem-
perature sealed chamber digestion technique in conjunction with a
¯uoride ion-speci®c electrode. Communications in Soil Science and
3.1.10. Fluoride concentration in foods Plant Analysis, 22, 1831±1846.
Table 9 gives the ¯uoride concentration in di€erent McQuaker, N. R., & Gurney, M. (1977). Determination of total ¯uo-
food samples. Most of the material is seafood and ride in soil and vegetation using an alkali fusion-selective ion elec-
therefore high in ¯uoride. trode technique. Analytical Chemistry, 49, 53±56.
NMKL (1996). Validering av kjemiske analysemetoder. Nordic Com-
mittee on Food Analysis, General Secretariat of NMKL, c/o VTT
Biotechnology and Food Research, Finland.
4. Conclusion Orion Research Incorporated (1991). Model 94-09. 96-09 ¯uoride/
combination ¯uoride electrodes. Instruction Manual, Boston.
Development of methods carried out in di€erent Rao, G. S. (1984). Dietary intake and bioavailability of ¯uoride.
laboratories, should be performed according to de®ned Annual Review of Nutrition, 4, 115±136.
Sherlock, J. C., & Corr, M. I. (1984). Fluorides in foodstu€s and the
analytical guidelines. There is an obvious need for doc- diet. Royal Society of Health Journal, 104, 34±36.
umentation of the reliability of analytical procedures Shott-GeraÈter (1996) Operating instructions, Titrator unit TitroLine 96,
used for the determination of ¯uoride in food. To enable Shott-GeraÈter GMbH, Hofheim a. Ts.
results from di€erent studies to be compared, analyses Singer, L., & Ophaug, R. H. (1986). Determination of ¯uoride in
foods. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 34, 510±513.
that give the total ¯uoride concentration are preferred.
Stevens, D. P., McLaughlin, M. J., & Alston, A. M. (1995). Limita-
This is because di€erent acids and mixtures of acids may tions of acid digestion techniques for the determination of ¯uoride
dissolve the ¯uoride in organic matter to varying degrees. in plant material. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analy-
CRM based on cereals or vegetables, with a broad range sis, 26, 1823±1842.
of variation of ¯uoride concentrations, are required. Willard, H. H., & Winter, O. B. (1933). Volumetric method for deter-
The alkali fusion method tested in this study is well mination of ¯uoride. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 5, 7±10.
Zarcinas, B. A. (1979). Determination of total ¯uoride in soil and plant
suited for analysing ¯uoride in food. The neutralisation material using an alkali fusion Ð speci®c ion electrode technique (Vol.
process is, however, time consuming and procedures to 18, pp. 1±6). Glen Osmond, Australia: CSIRO Division of Soils,
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