Determination of inorganic nutrients in wheat flour by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

• Combination of LIBS and EDXRF for quantitative analysis of wheat flour.
• Validation performed for determination of P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn.
• Same test samples can be used for both methods.
• Appropriate limits of detection for all tested analytes.
• Methods are simple and provide fast and accurate results for routine analysis.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) were evaluated for the determination of P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn in pressed pellets of wheat flours. EDXRF and LIBS calibration models were built with analytes mass fractions determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion in a set of 25 wheat flour laboratory samples. Test samples consisted of pressed pellets prepared from wheat flour mixed with 30% mm− 1 cellulose binder. Experiments were carried out with a LIBS setup consisted of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and a spectrometer with Echelle optics and ICCD, and a benchtop EDXRF system fitted with a Rh target X-ray tube and a Si(Li) semiconductor detector. The correlation coefficients from the linear calibration models of P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn and Zn determined by LIBS and/or EDXRF varied from 0.9705 for Zn to 0.9990 for Mg by LIBS, and from 0.9306 for S to 0.9974 for K by EDXRF. The coefficients of variation of measurements varied from 1.2 to 20% for LIBS, and from 0.3 to 24% for EDXRF. The predictive capabilities based on RMSEP (root mean square error of prediction) values were appropriate for the determination of P, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn by LIBS, and for P, K, S, Ca, Fe, and Zn by EDXRF. In general, results from the analysis of NIST SRM 1567a Wheat flour by LIBS and EDXRF were in agreement with their certified mass fractions.