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Review
. 2023 Sep 12;13(18):2547.
doi: 10.3390/nano13182547.

Application of Single Particle ICP-MS for the Determination of Inorganic Nanoparticles in Food Additives and Food: A Short Review

Katrin Loeschner  1 , Monique E Johnson  2 , Antonio R Montoro Bustos  2
Affiliations
Review

Application of Single Particle ICP-MS for the Determination of Inorganic Nanoparticles in Food Additives and Food: A Short Review

Katrin Loeschner et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

Due to enhanced properties at the nanoscale, nanomaterials (NMs) have been incorporated into foods, food additives, and food packaging materials. Knowledge gaps related to (but not limited to) fate, transport, bioaccumulation, and toxicity of nanomaterials have led to an expedient need to expand research efforts in the food research field. While classical techniques can provide information on dilute suspensions, these techniques sample a low throughput of nanoparticles (NPs) in the suspension and are limited in the range of the measurement metrics so orthogonal techniques must be used in tandem to fill in measurement gaps. New and innovative characterization techniques have been developed and optimized for employment in food nano-characterization. Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, a high-throughput nanoparticle characterization technique capable of providing vital measurands of NP-containing samples such as size distribution, number concentration, and NP evolution has been employed as a characterization technique in food research since its inception. Here, we offer a short, critical review highlighting existing studies that employ spICP-MS in food research with a particular focus on method validation and trends in sample preparation and spICP-MS methodology. Importantly, we identify and address areas in research as well as offer insights into yet to be addressed knowledge gaps in methodology.

Keywords: food; food additives; inorganic nanoparticles; method validation; sample collection; sample preparation; single particle ICP-MS.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of (A) studied food matrix, (B) analyzed element in the NPs, (C) NP shapes, and (D) origin of the studied NPs in the 49 identified studies focusing on spICP-MS analysis of food. * The designation “Other” refers to elements that were only studied in single publications, respectively (Hg, La, Nb, Pb, Pr, Pt, Se, Si, Y). For visual aid, the entries in the pie charts appear in order in a clockwise fashion following the legend beginning at the 12 o’clock position.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overview of (A) sources used for procuring samples and (B) matrix degradation approach used for the spICP-MS analysis of inorganic NPs in food. For visual aid, the entries appear in order in a clockwise fashion following the legend beginning at the 12 o’clock position.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Overview of (A) type of instrument, (B) type of nebulizer, (C) type of spray chamber, and (D) detector dwell time used for the spICP-MS analysis of inorganic NPs in food. For visual aid, the entries in the pie charts appear in order in a clockwise fashion following the legend beginning at the 12 o’clock position.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Overview of (A) NP calibration standards, (B) transport efficiency method, and (C): data analysis approach. For visual aid, the entries in the pie charts appear in order in a clockwise fashion following the legend beginning at the 12 o’clock position.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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