Update: 29 September, 2023
Mercury is one of the more toxic elements to living organisms. It is encountered at relatively low concentrations in the environment but with its amplification through the food chain, the final concentration in some foods can be relatively high. In addition, its toxicity is not only linked to its total concentration but is also dependent on the species. Mercury speciation in food analysis is necessary to fully estimate the toxic potential of this element to humans. Due to the low detection limits required for the analysis of Hg species, GC-ICP-MS has been the preferred method. However, with the sensitivity improvements in modern ICP-MS systems, the use of HPLC has become practical for the separation. Coupling HPLC and ICP-MS is particularly attractive due to the simple and fast connection between the techniques. Furthermore, in contrast to a GC analysis, sample extracts are directly injected into the system and no species derivatization is required, greatly simplifying the sample preparation and reducing the cost of the total analytical procedure.
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Publication date: 11 June, 2012
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PDF Link: Agilent Benefits of HPLC-ICP-MS coupling for mercury speciation in food Manual PDF