Development of a Certified Reference Material (NMIJ CRM 7512-a) for the Determination of Trace Elements in Milk Powder

A certified reference material (CRM), NMIJ CRM 7512-a, was developed for the determination of trace elements in milk powder. At least three independent analytical methods were applied to characterize the certified value of each element; all of these analytical methods were based on microwave acid digestions and carried out using different analytical instruments. The certified value was given on a dry-mass basis, where the dry-mass correction factor was obtained by drying the sample at 65 degrees C for 15 to 25 h. The certified values in the units of mass fractions for 13 elements were as follows: Ca, 8.65 (0.38) g kg(-1); Fe, 0.104 (0.007) g kg(-1); K, 8.41 (0.33) g kg(-1); Mg, 0.819 (0.024) g kg(-1); Na, 1.87 (0.09) g kg(-1); P, 5.62 (0.23) g kg(-1); Ba, 0.449 (0.013) mg kg(-1); Cu, 4.66 (0.23) mg kg(-1); Mn, 0.931 (0.032) mg kg(-1); Mo, 0.223 (0.012) mg kg(-1); Rb, 8.93 (0.31) mg kg(-1); Sr, 5.88 (0.20) mg kg(-1); and Zn, 41.3 (1.4) mg kg(-1), where the numbers in the parentheses are the expanded uncertainties with a coverage factor of 2. The expanded uncertainties were estimated considering the contribution of the analytical methods, the method-to-method variance, the sample homogeneity, the dry-mass correction factor, and the concentrations of the standard solutions for calibration. The concentrations of As (2.1 mu g kg(-1)), Cd (0.2 mu g kg(-1)), Cr (1.3 mu g kg(-4)), Pb (0.3 mu g kg(-1)), and Y (64 mu g kg(-1)) were given as information values for the present CRM.