An ICP-MS-Based Analytical Strategy for Assessing Compliance with the Ban of E 171 as a Food Additive on the EU Market
Francesca Ferraris,
Carlos Adelantado,
Andrea Raggi,
Sara Savini,
Mohammed Zougagh,
Ángel Ríos,
Francesco Cubadda
Affiliations
Francesca Ferraris
National Reference Laboratory for Nanomaterials in Food, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità—National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy
Carlos Adelantado
Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), 2400 Mol, Belgium
Andrea Raggi
National Reference Laboratory for Nanomaterials in Food, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità—National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy
Sara Savini
National Reference Laboratory for Nanomaterials in Food, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità—National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy
Mohammed Zougagh
Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Technology, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Ángel Ríos
Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Technology, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Francesco Cubadda
National Reference Laboratory for Nanomaterials in Food, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità—National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy
A method was developed for the determination of total titanium in food and food supplements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave-assisted acid digestion of samples. Five food supplements, including one certified reference material, and 15 food products were used for method development. Key factors affecting the analytical results, such as the composition of the acid mixture for sample digestion and the bias from spectral interferences on the different titanium isotopes, were investigated. Resolution of interferences was achieved by ICP-MS/MS with ammonia adduct formation and viable conditions for control laboratories equipped with standard quadrupole instruments were identified. The method was successfully validated and enables rapid screening of samples subject to confirmatory analysis for the presence of TiO2 particles. For the latter, single-particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS) analysis after chemical extraction of the particles was used. The two methods establish a viable analytical strategy for assessing the absence of titania particles in food products on the EU market following the E 171 ban as a food additive.
