Diagnostic Value of Energy Dispersive Hand-Held X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry in Determining Trace Element Concentrations in Ovine Liver.

The objective of this study was to compare ovine hepatic copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) concentrations as obtained with the hand-held XRF spectrometer to those of a reference laboratory using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Thirty ovine livers were obtained from an abattoir; prepared as wet blended and oven-dried samples and analysed. Bayesian correlation was used to assess the correspondence between results from the XRF and ICP-MS analyses. The oven-dried preparation procedure for XRF provided the best correlation with the ICP-MS data. The correlations for Cu and Zn were strong and the XRF method may represent a suitable substitute for ICP-MS analysis. For Mn and Fe the correlations were moderately strong and the XRF method may be suitable. For Mo, the correlation was weak and XRF cannot be recommended. Selenium could not be detected in samples prepared by either method. Hand-held XRF spectrometry was a practical method to determine liver concentrations of specific trace elements under African conditions and may significantly reduce the turn-around time of analysis, but unfortunately the apparatus is expensive. PMID: 30315508 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Biological Trace Element Research - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: Biol Trace Elem Res Source Type: research