The determination of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in cheese was collaboratively studied. The sample is dried and ashed and the residue is dissolved in an acidified aqueous solution. Calcium and magnesium are determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and phosphorus is determined by colorimetry. The study was repeated 3 times because of high within- and between-laboratory relative standard deviations (RSD(r) and RSD(R) respectively). Poor precision in the first 2 studies was caused by a number of factors, including use of contaminated glassware, improperly maintained instruments, and impure reagents as standards. In each study, 5 varieties of cheese were distributed as 10 blind duplicate samples along with a practice sample. Thirteen laboratories participated in the third study, which was generally problem-free. The range of results and the average RSD(r) and RSD(R) found in the cheeses were: calcium, 608-1107 mg/100 g, 1.5%, 2.6%; magnesium, 23.9-50.6 mg/100 g, 2.8%, 3.8%; phosphorus, 444-695 mg/100 g, 1.2%, 1.6%. The method has been adopted official first action by AOAC.
