Synchrotron based high throughput screening method for mineral analysis in cereal and pulse grains meal

A rapid high throughput non-destructive method, using an X-ray microprobe beamline (Very Sensitive Elemental and Structural Probe Employing Radiation from Synchrotron, VESPERS, CLS Saskatoon), has been developed to screen multiple minerals in cereal and pulse meals. Starch spiked with commercial mineral standards cocktail at different concentrations was optimized to develop standard curve to determine mineral concentrations in grain meal samples. A grid sample holder to hold 84 samples was built for high precision and rapid analysis of multiple samples. The developed analytical method can be used for quantitative determination of eleven minerals including Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb and Mo at mg Kg− 1 or ppm concentrations. Method adaptability was assessed using a cereal crop wheat and pulse crop chickpea grain meal. The method was successfully used for Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb and Mo determination in wheat and chickpea and measurements were cross analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy ICP-MS technique for the same samples. The method is highly sensitive (sensitivity at ppm level) and can be adapted to analyze mineral concentrations in grain meal from crops of interest. The precise and reproducible high throughput screening method can be used in crop improvement to develop bio-fortified grains with increased mineral concentrations.