This document specifies a method for the determination of total mercury (Hg) in foodstuffs using direct atomic absorption spectrometry after thermal decomposition in an oxygen or air flow and concentration by amalgam formation. The method is applicable for solid and liquid samples.
This method was tested in a interlaboratory study carried out on seven different materials with a mercury concentration in the range from 0,005 mg/kg to 5,20 mg/kg and successfully validated in this range.
The following foodstuffs were analysed:
— Saithe (dried);
— Celery (dried);
— Wheat noodle powder;
— Wild mushrooms (dried);
— Pig liver (dried);
— Cacao powder;
— Tuna fish (dried).
The lower limit of the method’s applicability varies depending on the food matrix and the water content of the foodstuff. It is a laboratory-specific value and is defined by the laboratory when calculating the limit of quantification (see 9.2).