Development and production of certified reference material of sugarcane leaves for evaluation of nutritional quality

• Grant number: 11/21675-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2012
• End date: April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Elisabete Aparecida de Nadai Fernandes
• Grantee: Maria Isabel Vega Martinez
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/06494-8 - Chemical characterization of a candidate reference material of sugarcane leaves using PGAA with emphasis on n, Si, s, b and mo, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Certified reference materials (CRMs) are indispensable for the quality control of measurement systems and for validation of methods. These materials have been produced for different areas of interest, due to their great importance for health, nutrition, environment, industry and international trade. However, there are difficulties in the selection of appropriate materials, since there are not CRMs specific for all the demands involving different types of samples and analytes. Frequently, several CRMs with matrix composition as close as possible to the samples are used for the analysis of some types of materials, when a single appropriate CRM is not available. Such a situation increases the cost of analysis and causes commutability problems that may affect the accuracy of methods. In Brazil, sugarcane is a crop with important and well-defined economic and social roles. Studies concerning development, genetic improvement and productivity of sugarcane involve the evaluation of nutritional status. As decisive parameters for selecting better varieties, the determination of nutritional elements should undergo a rigid quality control of analytical procedures. According to the international database for certified reference materials (COMAR), there is no CRM of sugarcane for nutritional studies. In this context, the present project proposes the development and production of a CRM of sugarcane leaves aiming at studying the nutritional quality of the different varieties. In the certification process, multielemental methods as instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) will be employed together with other complementary methods for the determination mainly of macro and micronutrients, and also, sugarcane technological analysis. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MARTINEZ, Maria Isabel Vega. Development and production of certified reference material of sugarcane leaves for assessment of nutritional quality. 2016. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB) Piracicaba.