Heavy Metals & Elemental Analysis of Food Products

No food manufacturer wants heavy metals or other dangerous elements to end up in their products. However, they can enter production through intentional or incidental adulterants, such as lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) in colorants or arsenic (As) and bromine (Br) from pesticides. It’s important to ensure these contaminants are not present at any stage of food production.

XRF provides fast, nondestructive elemental analysis of food, from starting materials to end products, as liquids, powders, solids and tissues. Our XRF analyzer portfolio includes high-throughput lab-based ED-XRF and WD-XRF, point-and-shoot handheld XRF, micro-XRF, and ultra-trace analysis TXRF spectrometers.

Handheld XRF can be used to screen for heavy metals during the food production process – whether to assess the level of metals present in raw ingredients or in finished foodstuffs prior to packaging – allowing producers to ensure their product is safe for consumers.

The portable nature of handheld XRF systems means they can be used to screen foodstuffs during the production process with only limited sample preparation required, allowing production to take place continuously, which saves time and increases efficiency. Bruker’s portable and handheld XRF devices can be calibrated especially for the detection of low levels of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium for food safety control, and can be configured for non-expert use with simple pass or fail tests – helping ensure that food products meet the required standards to designate them as safe for consumption.