DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW SERIES OF AGRICULTURAL FOOD REFERENCE MATERIALS FOR ANALYTICAL QUALITY-CONTROL OF ELEMENTAL DETERMINATIONS/

Ten new Agricultural/Food Reference Materials - Bovine Muscle Powder ( National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST], code NIST RM 84 14), Whole Egg Powder (NIST RM 8415), Microcrystalline Cellulose (NIST RM 8416), Wheat Gluten (NIST RM 8418), Corn Starch (NIST RM 8432), Co rn Bran (NIST RM 8433), Whole Milk Powder (NIST RM 8435), Durum Wheat Flour (NIST RM 8436), Hard Red Spring Wheat Flour (NIST RM 8437) and S oft Winter Wheat Flour (NIST RM 8438) - were prepared by application o f milling, irradiation, sieving, blending, and packaging procedures. E xcellent material homogeneity was found for virtually all major, minor , and trace elements of interest. The reference materials were charact erized with respect to elemental composition via an extensive internat ional, interlaboratory characterization (certification) campaign. Chem ical analyses conducted in 73 cooperating laboratories applying 13 maj or classes of independently different analytical methods led to 278 co ncentration values for 34 nutritionally, toxicologically, and environm entally pertinent elements. A total of 213 best-estimate and 65 inform ational concentration Values are available for Al, As, B, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, CI, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, F, Fe, Hg, I, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, N, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, S, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, V, W, and Zn. These products make a substantia l contribution to the existing world repertoire of biological referenc e materials with respect to natural matrix and elemental composition. They are expected to be useful to analysts for quality control of anal ytical data. Applications include evaluations of analytical methods an d instruments used in nutritional, toxicological, monitory, regulatory , environmental, agricultural, and other investigations. These product s are available to the analytical community from the Standard Referenc e Materials Program, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD.