Sample preparation techniques for the determination of trace residues and contaminants in foods

ANYL 18

Kathy Ridgway, Kathy.Ridgway@Unilever.com1, Sam.PD. Lalljie1, and Roger.M. Smith2. (1) Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Unilever, Colworth park, Bedfordshire, MK441LQ, United Kingdom, (2) Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics, LE113TU, United Kingdom
Due to the complex nature of food, sample extraction and preparation are key steps in providing robust reliable analytical methodology for the determination of chemical contaminants in food. Sample preparation must be tailored to the final analysis, taking into account the instrumentation to be used and the degree of accuracy required, qualitative or quantitative. Analytical methodology must enable the unequivocal identification of contaminants as reliable data are essential to ensure quality and safety in the food supply chain. Optimised sample preparation can reduce the time taken for analysis, and also the sources of error, as the number of steps in the method are minimised. A combination of different techniques is often required and this review will consider selected examples of sample preparation, covering general and selective extraction and enrichment techniques. The suitability of each technique for the determination of trace level chemical residues and contaminants in foods will be discussed.