Heavy Metal and Mineral Analysis

Minerals are essential components of our bodies and play vital roles as co-factors for almost every biochemical reaction. Lack of minerals supply may result in different kinds of chronic and/or acute diseases, and may even be a threat to life. There are at least 20 minerals which are essential for the proper function of the human body; and all of the minerals will need to be obtained from foods.

Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury can be enriched hundreds of times under the biological amplification of the food chain, and will eventually be taken by the human body. A certain extent of heavy metal accumulations may cause chronic poisoning. For example, elevated levels of lead can cause neurotoxicity in infants; cadmium is primarily nephrotoxic and may lead to bone demineralization; mercury in its organic forms is extremely toxic to the nervous system; inorganic arsenic can cause cancer in skin, lungs, and the urinary tract. The toxicities of heavy metal may result from many mechanisms, including antagonism of mineral balance, alterations in enzyme activity, changes in neuronal membrane potential, increased oxidation, as well as effects on the immune system.

Lifeasible is experienced in heavy metal and mineral analysis. We assure you of fast and accurate heavy metal and mineral testing. The types of minerals and heavy metals we can test are listed in Table 1, and the list is still expanding.

Table 1. The mineral and heavy metal test items

With cutting-edge equipment and a professional team, Lifeasible offers our clients worldwide with a variety of advanced technologies for the analysis of minerals and heavy metals contents in foods. These techniques include GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, UHPLC, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), etc.. These technologies are highly sensitive, allowing the analysis of heavy metals and minerals in food with great specificity even at very low concentrations. We have successfully implemented heavy metal and mineral analysis on a wide variety of matrices, including fish, shellfish & crustaceans, wines and alcoholic beverages, cereals, meat, dairy products (milk, baby milk, cheese, etc.), vegetables, and soft drinks. We can provide you tailored testing and analysis for heavy metals and minerals, in accordance with international standards. Welcome to contact us for further information.