Characterization of Powdered Milk by ICP-MS Application Note · PlasmaQuant MS

Introduction

Milk and dairy products play an important role in the human diet. From infants to adults, various types of dairy products accompany us in our everyday lives and provide us with important major and trace elements, vitamins, and other essential substances. Since many dairy products are perishable and have a limited shelf life, powdered milk is the alternative for preparing milk for direct consumption
or for processing into other products. Its longer shelf life and ability to be easily transported make powdered milk a widely used product.

The growing use of powdered milk in infant nutrition requires a strict quality control to ensure the quality of the product on a permanent basis. Here, the samples are not only examined for toxic elements such as Cd, As, Hg, and Pb but also monitored for the levels of major and trace elements. Since the elements are present in very different concentration levels ranging from g/kg to μg/kg, different
analytical techniques are usually used to cover all concentration ranges.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a highly flexible technique that covers a wide concentration range within a single analysis run. The PlasmaQuant MS, ICP-MS, is a sensitive and robust system that combines the highest performance, ease of use, and low running costs (economic operation). Coupling to an ASPQ 3300, autosampler allows the automated characterization of large numbers of samples.