Comparison of chemical modifiers for direct determination of Cd, Cu and Zn in food stuffs by solid-sampling-ETAAS

► Comparison of Pd and PO4 modifiers for SS-ETAAS determination of Cd, Cu and Zn. ► In different samples without modifier Cu shows different thermal stability. ► Pd modifier for determination of Cu and Zn. ► Pd plus NH4NO3 (elimination of Cl− interference) modifier for determination of Cd. ► PO4 modifiers give acceptable recoveries when using on a pre-pyrolysed sample.