Inorganic Arsenic (iAs)

Fera food testing experts use leading detection techniques to accurately identify levels of potentially toxic arsenic within food samples.  From this valuable insight you can satisfy regulators on the safety of your foodstuffs.

Arsenic is well known for its toxicity, with extensive public interest when found within consumer foodstuffs with a significant risk to your business activities if due diligence testing is not undertaken. This analysis focuses on measuring inorganic arsenic in food.  Inorganic arsenic, which is known to be far more toxic than its organic form is naturally present within groundwater across the globe which can have a profound effect on the food safety of crops such as rice. There is a large amount of regulatory interest in levels of arsenic within different foodstuffs and the European Union have set maximum levels for inorganic arsenic in rice and derived products.

Fera can provide a range of testing measures to provide the due diligence testing you require to reduce the risk of costly recalls. We have methods for both total arsenic and inorganic arsenic. Both methods are UKAS accredited. The inorganic method extracts both arsenic III and V, but will also extract monomethylarsonic species (MMA) if present in the sample. There is mounting evidence that MMA is also toxic, so we consider our extraction procedure to be a good estimate of the toxic component in the foodstuff. Only 50g per sample is required for testing and results are available within 15 working days, providing you with the insights you require to ensure only safe foodstuffs are offered to your customers.

Homogenised samples are solubilised in acid and extracted in solvent. Inorganic As is re-extracted into dilute acid prior to quantification by ICP-MS.