Determination of Ca, Mg, and Mn in Tea Samples with Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry
Abstract
Tea is one of the oldest and the most common beverages and its elements are quite rich. Studies show that tea and infusion herbal tea samples may have lots of contamination. It is determined that these contaminations may result from the production phase, the soil it grows, fertilizeds used, and from gases emitted to the atmosphere [1]. Depending on the concentrations, these kinds of contaminations may affect human health. In this study, more than 30 tea samples were solubilized with microwave aid and the Ca, Mg, and Mn concentrations were found with Agilent 4100 MP-OES. Microwave Plasma Optic Emission Spectrometers (MP-OES) have been in the market for about two years in a commercial manner. In these systems, the plasma is generated from the air with nitrogen generator, and thus, there are no such problems like gas cost nor gas changes. Microwave plasma source, triggered by magnetic means, is more advantageous than flame atomic absorption in terms of sensitivity, linear dynamic range, observability, determination limits, and speed. In the study, the suitable emission wavelength was automatically determined for every element, and optimizations for smoke forming pressure and visualization position. Validation of the system was performed with GB10077605 tea standard reference. Detection limit is 1.01 mg.L-1, 2.9 μg L-1, and 1.2 μg L-1 for Ca (616.217 nm), Mg (285.213 nm), and Mn (403.076 nm), respectively. Apart from solubilized samples, same samples were kept in hot water to find the solubilized portion of the elements.
Keywords
References
- T. Karak, R.M. Bhagat “Trace elements in tea leaves, made tea and tea infusion: A review” Rood Research International 43: 2234-2252, 2010.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Electrochemistry
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
October 8, 2014
Submission Date
October 8, 2014
Acceptance Date
-
Published in Issue
Year 2014 Volume: 1 Number: 1
