The issue of arsenic in fruit juices has been in the news for several months. National attention was drawn to the issue by various organizations.  This attention suddenly increased the demand for analysis of juice for arsenic. Analytical laboratories with little or no prior experience with food analysis were asked to perform analyses of juice for low levels of arsenic. Some methodologies used produced data possibly biased high by as much as a factor of three to five. Arsenic determination in food using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry is a common and appropriate technique for determining arsenic in food. However, one must understand potential interferences to produce reliable results.  Instrument analysis parameters as well as the test sample preparation procedure can greatly influence the accuracy of total arsenic results. Details of common mistakes and their influence on accuracy will be discussed.

Arsenic in juice – are the results reliable?

244th National Meeting (2012)

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