Metals Screen I Test

Our standard turnaround time is 10 business days for most assays. There are some assays that require a longer turnaround time. We also offer a RUSH service that is half the time of the standard turnaround time of the assay at double the cost of the assay. A few assays that we provide cannot be rushed due to the nature of the test. Please check the specific assay you are interested in regarding the ability to RUSH the turnaround time.

While regulations can vary, generally, Vitamin D and our Metal Screen I Package (Calcium, Iron, Potassium, and Sodium) are most commonly requested when creating a nutrition label.

The ICP instrumentation is typically more sensitive than Atomic Absorption techniques and allows for very accurate analytical testing. Medallion Labs uses ICP-MS and ICP-OES for our metal testing.

The quantification limits for each metal is different depending on the instrument that they are run with. For mercury testing the LOQs also vary depending on the sample matrix (solid, liquid, oil). These LOQs for mercury testing are (solids = (< 4.0ppb), liquids = (< 2.0ppb), oils = (<12.0ppb)). The main difference for mercury testing is that for testing mercury there is also a sample result maximum. This maximum is 800 ppb for mercury results. For testing results using the ICP-MS associated with our Trace metals test, the LOQs are as follows: (Boron = ( 500ppb), Aluminum = ( 100ppb), Chromium = ( 50ppb), Cobalt = ( 10ppb), Nickel = ( 50ppb), Arsenic = ( 10ppb), Selenium = ( 10ppb), Molybdenum = ( 10ppb), Cadmium = ( 10ppb), Tin = ( 10ppb), Antimony = ( 10ppb), Barium = ( 10ppb), Lead = ( 10ppb)). These LOQs are the same for liquid or solid samples. These take into account sample weight and final volumes. For testing results using the ICP-OES associated with our nutritional metals testing, the LOQs are as follows: (Calcium = (1.00 mg/100g), Copper = (1.00 mg/100g), Iron = (1.00 mg/100g), Potassium = (3.00 mg/100g), Magnesium = (1.00 mg/100g), Manganese = (1.00 mg/100g), Sodium = (3.00 mg/100g), Phosphorus = (1.00 mg/100g), Zinc = (1.00 mg/100g)). These LOQs are the same for liquid or solid samples. These take into account sample weight and final volumes.

For food safety concerns, particularly heavy metals, we would recommend working closely with a food safety consultant to go over test results and develop an action plan as needed.

When testing using the ICPs, for testing foods and samples with high moisture content, the lab would just require a higher sample weight to test the sample as a liquid. Any sample with a moisture content higher than 90% would classify as a liquid. When testing foods with high fat content, any sample with greater than 95% fat, the lab unfortunately has to send this sample type out for testing. This however, is not an issue for testing for mercury, since the lab uses a different instrument called the DMA-80. For high fat samples there is a different temperature method used to ensure accurate mercury results for high fat samples.