Analytical strategies of sample preparation for the determination of mercury in food matrices — A review

•Review on sample preparation for the determination of mercury in food matrices•The advantages of slurry and solid sampling for the determination of Hg in food are discussed.•The applications and advantages of the DMA for the determination of Hg in foods are presented.•The use of microwave digestion for the determination of Hg in foods is discussed.•The use of NAA and voltammetry for the quantification of Hg in food matrices is discussed.

The present paper reports the advantages, drawbacks and applications of the main techniques of sample preparation employed during the determinations of total mercury and methylmercury in food matrices employing analytical methods such as: cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV AAS), cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV AFS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), voltammetry, and neutron activation analysis. The use of slurry sampling, solid sampling, microwave assisted extraction, reflux system by cold finger and Vigreux column was discussed. Also a brief text on the use of chromatographic techniques for the speciation analysis of mercury is presented. A list of 134 references is cited and the analytical characteristics of some these procedures proposed are shown as tables.