Trace element analysis in flour

Trace elements in five kinds of flour which were made in Japan, America and Canada, have been measured by means of in-air PIXE. Twelve kinds of trace elements were detected, such as Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Br. The concentration of these elements varied depending on the place where they were made. In order to check the target preparation procedure, two types of sample preparation have been used, such as wet ashing by nitric acid in a microwave oven and making a paste by an internal standard solution. Comparisons of the results of both samples ensures that bromine was not lost during micro-wave oven heating. Analytic fitting of PIXE spectra by a personal computer and a commercial application software was successfully used. (author)