Mineral Analysis in Food — EN 15505 / EN 15621 / ICP-MS

What Is Minerals?

Mineral analysis is the determination of the nutritional element content in food. The sample is acidified or ashed in the microwave, then elemental concentrations are measured by ICP-OES or ICP-MS. The same measurement technique is also used in heavy metal analysis; the difference is in the targeted elements.

Purpose of Minerals

The purpose is to produce mineral values in the nutrition claim table, verify the level of additives in fortified products and support nutrition claims.

Which Products Is Minerals Applied To?

Mineral takviyeleri
Fortified milk and beverages
Baby food and follow-on formulas
Breakfast cereals and baked goods
Natural mineral waters

In Which Sectors Is Minerals Used?

FoodAgricultureRetailPharmaceuticalsEnvironment

Standards Related to Minerals

TS EN 15621 (Determination of elements in feed and food by ICP-AES — after pressure solubilization)
TS EN 15505 (sodium and magnesium — ICP-AES)
TS EN 13805 (pressure solubilization)
TS EN ISO 17294-2 (determination of elements by ICP-MS)

Minerals Conditions

Digestion: Pressure solubilization with acid in the microwave
Measurement: ICP-OES or ICP-MS; The technique is chosen according to the concentration
Contamination: Metal contact is avoided in sample preparation

Equipment for Minerals

ICP-OES / ICP-MS
Microwave digestion system
muffle furnace
Analytical balance and acid purification system

Sample Requirements for Minerals

Homogenized representative sample
The sample should not be ground with metal tools.
Analiz edilecek element listesi belirtilmeli
Declared mineral levels must be reported

Duration of Minerals

Solubilization and ICP measurement together take several working days. Since measurement in multi-element packages can be done in a single run, the time does not increase linearly with the number of elements.

Minerals Procedure

1The sample is homogenized and weighed.
2It is solubilized with acid in the microwave.
3The solution is diluted and the internal standard is added.
4Element concentrations are measured by ICP.
5Calibration and recovery controls are evaluated.
6Results are calculated as mg/100 g or mg/kg.

Minerals Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria are label declaration and (EU) 1169/2011 tolerance guidelines. If a nutritional declaration is to be made, reference intake value conditions within the scope of (EC) 1924/2006 apply, and for enrichment, the provisions of (EC) 1925/2006 apply.

Evaluation of Results

Nutrient minerals and heavy metals can be measured together in the same analysis; but their purposes are different and they are compared with different boundaries. Additionally, total mineral content does not indicate bioavailability: a product with a high iron content may show low absorption due to the matrix.

Minerals Report

Sample description and list of analyzed elements
Applied standard and solubilization method
Result, detection limit and uncertainty for each element
Recovery controls
Comparison with label declaration

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on Food Information to Consumers
Regulation (EC) 1925/2006 on the Addition of Vitamins and Minerals to Food
(EU) Regulation 2023/915 on Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Food

Food Testing — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Minerals test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Food testing shows that a product is safe for consumption and contains what its label states. The family works along three axes: microbiological safety, chemical safety and nutritional composition. All three require different laboratory infrastructure, a different body of methods and a different turnaround time.

The most distinctive feature of the field is TIME PRESSURE. A steel specimen can wait on a shelf; a raw milk or fresh meat sample cannot. The time the sample was taken, the transport temperature and how long it takes to reach the laboratory directly determine the validity of the result. In food microbiology the cold chain record is therefore an inseparable part of the test report.

On the microbiological side there are two different questions and they must not be confused. DETECTION of a pathogen is a qualitative question: is Salmonella present in the sample or not? ENUMERATION of indicator organisms is a quantitative question and an indicator of production hygiene. The absence of a pathogen in a product does not show that hygiene is good; if the total mesophilic aerobic count is high, there is a problem in the process.

On the chemical side, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals, additives, veterinary drug residues and process contaminants (acrylamide, furan, PAH) are measured. Multi-residue methods in this area (QuEChERS-based LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS) can screen hundreds of active substances in a single analysis; limits are defined separately for each product–substance pair.

On the composition side, protein, fat, moisture, ash, fibre, sugar profile, fatty acid composition, vitamin and mineral content are determined. These values are the basis of the nutrition declaration on the label and the tolerance ranges are defined in legislation — the difference between the declared value and the measured value must stay within that tolerance.

There is NO CE marking on food, and this shapes how the field works. Conformity is demonstrated through operating a HACCP-based food safety system, complying with labelling rules and not exceeding contaminant, residue and microbiological limits. A test result produces evidence not for a certificate but for a functioning system.

Allergen management carries particular weight. The presence of an undeclared allergen in a product is one of the most frequent causes of food recalls. Analysis here runs together with cleaning validation: it is shown that the line has been cleaned adequately after a production run containing an allergen and that the risk of cross-contamination is under control.

Voluntary schemes have become effectively mandatory in this field. Retail chains require their suppliers to hold a certificate under a GFSI-recognised scheme (BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000); without it, getting onto the shelf is practically impossible.

Method groups in this field

Pathogen detection
Detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, Cronobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; culture-based and molecular methods.
Indicator counts
Total mesophilic aerobic count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and E. coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, yeasts and moulds, lactic acid bacteria, sulphite-reducing Clostridia.
Pesticide and veterinary residues
Multi-residue screening by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS with QuEChERS extraction.
Mycotoxins and contaminants
Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, patulin; heavy metals (ICP-MS), acrylamide and PAH compounds.
Nutritional composition
Kjeldahl protein, fat and fatty acid profile, moisture, ash, dietary fibre, sugar profile, vitamin and mineral analyses.
Allergens and authenticity
Gluten, milk, egg, nut and soy allergen analyses; molecular methods for species identification and adulteration detection.

Commonly confused in this field

Sampling is half the result. A sample transported at the wrong temperature or delayed gives an invalid result even if it is analysed correctly in the laboratory.
The absence of a pathogen does not show that hygiene is good; indicator counts give separate information and the two are read together.
A result from a sample taken from a lot can be generalised to the whole lot only if the sampling plan was set up statistically.
Limits are defined in separate regulations by product group and are updated regularly; a conformity decision based on an outdated limit table may be wrong.
For exports, the limits of the destination country may differ from EU limits; the same product may be compliant in one market and non-compliant in another.

Which decisions these results support

Verification of the HACCP plan and process monitoring
The basis for the nutrition declaration and allergen information on the label
Health certificates before export and compliance with destination market limits
Supplier and lot-based acceptance control
Shelf-life studies and determining storage conditions
Producing evidence for audits under GFSI-recognised schemes

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Minerals

Is mineral analysis the same as heavy metal analysis?

The measurement technique is the same, but the target elements and the boundaries being compared are different. Minerals are measured for nutritional declaration, heavy metals for contamination legislation. The two can be combined in the same study.