Combination of femtosecond laser ablation with chemometric tools for direct food sample analyses

• Grant number: 16/17443-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2017
• End date: February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Edenir Rodrigues Pereira Filho
• Grantee: Amanda dos Santos Augusto
• Supervisor: Richard Russo
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/11415-0 - Determination of essential and trace elements in orange juice and dietary supplements using the LIBS technique, BP.DR

Abstract

Advantages of analytical techniques employing laser pulses as sampling tools (for example Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, LA-ICP-MS) are well known in the analytical community. Its main characteristics are direct analysis of any type of samples, reduction of chemical treatment steps eliminating potential sources of contamination, and last but not least reduction of analysis time. However, one of the biggest challenges for these direct sampling approaches is performing reliable quantitative analyses. The reliability of quantitative analysis depends greatly on the availability of appropriate standard reference materials. Some of the requirements for these "appropriate" standard reference material, in particular when using nanosecond lasers, is related to matrix matching between samples and standards. Chemometric tools (for data processing) or femtosecond lasers (to improve laser-material interaction) can improve method performance minimizing matrix effects. In this project, we propose to use a combination of femtosecond laser ablation with chemometrics data analysis to establish analysis protocols for food samples quality control. Food samples are among the most variable samples in terms of matrices and elemental composition. In particular, we propose to establish calibration strategies for determination of Ca, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mg, Pb and Zn in liquid (i.e. orange juice), and solid samples (i.e. dietary supplements).