M ETAL D ETERMINATION IN V EGETABLES Tim Cumming Jesse Diehl Meg Dailey

W HY EAT VEGETABLES ? Rich in vitamins and minerals Nutritious Fiber May reduce the risk of diseases, including heart disease and high blood pressure Help you feel energized and healthy

O UR P ROJECT We were looking for minerals in vegetables, both frozen and organic The vegetables we looked at were; cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, green beans and spinach We were expecting to find Fe What we found was Ca, K, Ag, Fe and Cu

H OW DID WE GO ABOUT THIS ? Determine what vegetables to test Run samples on the XRF Determine what elements to look for on the ICP Turn the vegetables into liquid Run standard and samples on the ICP

T HE XRF AND THE ICP

XRF D ATA S AMPLE Organic Spinach AnalyteResult K58.864% Ca30.134% Si3.740% S3.196% Fe2.158% Cu0.719% Zn0.604% Hf0.584%

XRF D ATA A NALYSIS Only found Fe in the spinach Vegetables mostly contained Ca, K, and Cu Kept Fe because it was what we were originally looking for Ag was found in the carrots and the frozen spinach Curious, we decided to look for Ag, too

ICP Decided to make standard of 0.1, 0.5, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0 ppm Standards contained Ag, Fe, Cu, Ca, and K Standards were made from 1000 ppm standard metal solutions Vegetable samples were made from 10 mL of filtered sample diluted to 100 mL with distilled water

ICP S TANDARD D ATA

ICP S AMPLE D ATA Organic Carrot ElementSolution Concentration (ppm) Intensity (c/s) Ag Ca Cu Fe K Frozen Carrot ElementSolution Concentration (ppm) Intensity (c/s) Ag Ca Cu Fe K

ICP D ATA A NALYSIS All vegetables showed trace amounts of Ag, Cu, and Fe Organic carrots showed the highest concentration of Fe, K, and Ca Frozen broccoli showed the highest concentration of Ag Frozen broccoli, spinach, and green beans showed higher concentrations of Ca and K

O VERALL A NALYSIS Believe that the silver was from pesticides What vegetable depends on whether organic is better than frozen

B ENEFITS OF M ETALS Calcium is needed for healthy bones, healthy teeth, and functioning of nerves, glands, and muscles Iron is needed for healthy blood and functioning of cells Potassium is needed to maintain healthy blood pressure

S OURCES 10-reasons-to-eat-more-fruits-and-vegetables -nutrients-in-fruits-and-vegetables r.pdf dients/factsheets/factsheet_ htm