Ion chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry as a powerful technique for halogens and sulfur determination in egg powder and its fractions.

RATIONALE: To increase the consumption of egg powder and its fractions a suitable quality control method is required to obtain more information on its nutritional composition. The proposed method enables the quantification of important elements for the functioning of the human organism, such as halogens and sulfur, in egg powder and its fractions. METHODS: Up to 350 mg of egg powder or its fractions (egg white powder and egg yolk powder) were digested by microwave-induced combustion using 20 bar pressure of oxygen. The analytes were absorbed in 100 mmol L-1 of NH4 OH solution. The determination of halogens (chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and iodine) and sulfur was performed in a single analysis using ion chromatography with conductivity detection coupled to mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Using the proposed method, spike recoveries between 99% and 104% for all analytes were obtained, and results agreed with certified values of reference materials (agreements were between 100% and 109%). The relative standard deviations were below 8%. The variation in elemental concentration over a wide range in different fractions (whole egg powder, egg white powder, and egg yolk powder) and different brands was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method provides reliable information about minerals in whole egg powder and its fractions, contributing to better quality control of these products. Because these food products are widely consumed, these results suggest the safe ingestion levels of these elements.

A fast and feasible method for Br and I determination in whole egg powder and its fractions by ICP-MS.

A method for Br and I determination in whole egg powder and its fractions (egg white and yolk) was developed by combining microwave-induced combustion (MIC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Using the MIC method, 350mg of whole egg powder and its fractions were efficiently digested using 50mmolL-1NH4OH as an absorbing solution. The limits of detection for Br and I using the MIC method followed by ICP-MS determination were 0.039 and 0.015µgg-1, respectively. Using the proposed method, agreements with the reference values between 97 and 104% for Br and I were obtained by analysis of reference material NIST 8435. Finally, it was possible to observe that Br concentration (4.59-5.29µgg-1) was higher than I (0.150-2.28µgg-1) for all the evaluated samples.