A new reference material for the analysis of rice flour

IRMM has released for distribution a new certified reference material (IRMM-804) for the analysis of rice flour. The IRMM-804 has been certified for its content of As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn, while the Se mass fraction is given as additional information.

IRMM-804 was prepared from rice grown on Cd enriched water and exhibits elevated levels of Cd. This material was designed specifically for assessing method performance and can also be used for control charts or validation studies. The material has been processed and certified according to the ISO Guides 34 and 35. It was characterised by an interlaboratory comparison and the homogeneity and stability were also tested prior to release. The preparation and certification of IRMM-804 is described in detail in the certification report.

Rice is one of the foodstuffs for which maximum levels for lead and cadmium have been set in a Commission regulation. Besides lead and cadmium, the elements copper, zinc, manganese, selenium and arsenic have been included in the certification of the rice flour reference material. Copper, zinc, manganese and selenium are essential trace elements, but excess of these elements in the diet can have adverse effects whereas arsenic is a potentially toxic element.

This rice flour was also used as test material in an interlaboratory comparison IMEP-19 and a Comité International des poids et mesures - Comité consultatif pour la quantité de matière - métrologie en chimie (CIPM - CCQM) key comparison CCQM-K24 and pilot study CCQM-P29 as well as an EUROMET comparison.

Source: Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM)