Micro- and Macro-Element Assays: The Foundation of Food and Feed Quality

In today's world, the phrase "you are what you eat" has taken on a new, laboratory meaning. For food and animal feed manufacturers, controlling the elemental composition is not merely a legal requirement but a guarantee of safety, biological value and commercial success.
Today we shall explore why mineral composition analysis is critical, how macro-elements differ from micro-elements, and which analytical methods make it possible to "see" a product's composition down to the last molecule.

Macro- and micro-elements: what is the difference?

In analytical chemistry and nutrition science, elements are classified according to their concentration in the body and the body's requirement for them.
Macro-elements (Ca, P, Mg, K, Na, Cl). These are the "building materials". Their content in products is measured in percentages or grams per kilogram. They are responsible for bone structure, electrolyte balance and muscle function.
Micro-elements (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, I, Co and others). These are the "catalysts". Their concentration is measured in milligrams per kilogram (ppm). They form part of enzymes and hormones, regulating the metabolism.
A separate category is that of toxic elements (heavy metals: Pb, Cd, As, Hg), the control of which is mandatory for the certification of any product.

Why is this analysis important?

1. For the food industry

● Labelling (Nutrition Facts): You cannot state the calcium or iron content on a label by guesswork. The consumer must receive accurate data.● Fortification: Monitoring the content of added vitamins and minerals in enriched products.

● Safety: Detecting accidental heavy-metal contamination that may enter raw materials from the soil or water.

● Animal productivity: A deficiency of even a single micro-element (selenium, for example) can lead to reduced weight gain or reproductive problems.● Cost optimisation: Accurate analysis makes it possible to avoid over-saturating feeds with expensive additives, while still ensuring the animal's physiological requirement, which does not cause disease.● The nation's health: the quality of meat, milk and eggs depends directly on what the animal consumed.

How the analysis is carried out: from sample to result

The analytical process in a modern laboratory is a combination of classic "wet chemistry" and high-technology instrumental engineering.

Stage 1: Sample preparation (mineralisation)

Most instruments work with liquid samples. A solid product (grain, meat, compound feed) is therefore subjected to mineralisation — the breaking-down of the organic matrix using concentrated acids (nitric, perchloric) and high temperature. The most modern method is microwave digestion, carried out in closed systems under pressure, which prevents the loss of volatile elements.

Stage 2: Instrumental measurement

Depending on the objectives and budget, the following methods are used:
● Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS): The classic method. The sample is sprayed into a flame, where atoms absorb light of a particular wavelength. Ideally suited to determining 1–5 elements in a large batch of samples.● ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry): Allows dozens of elements to be determined simultaneously in a matter of minutes. Plasma at a temperature of around 10,000 K excites the atoms, which emit light characteristic of each element.● ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry): The "gold standard" for the analysis of micro-elements and heavy metals. It can detect ultra-trace concentrations (at the parts-per-trillion — ppt — level).

Conclusion

Micro- and macro-element analysis is not only about the figures on a report. It is about brand reputation, consumer health and business efficiency.
At HALOMLAB we understand the complexity of these processes, which is why we use only proven sample-preparation and analysis equipment that meets international quality standards. The laboratory uses the referee method of atomic emission spectrometry to determine the content of micro- and macro-elements.
Would you like to have micro- and macro-element analyses carried out? Our laboratory is ready to do it!