Objective
The objective of the project was to improve methodology for nitrate determination in foodstuffs through intercomparison and to prepare certified reference materials (CRM). A first intercomparison on orange juice materials (blank and spiked) and beetroot juice involving high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques, cadmium reduction methods and enzymatic kits have shown the differences between methods were not significant, the relative coefficient of variation being less than 10%. A reference material consisting of freeze dried lettuce powder is being prepared.
The level of nitrate in food is increasingly controlled because of possible risk to human health and especially to children. There is controversy over the possible relationship between nitrate and formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. For baby food, the legal limit in several Member States is 50 mg/kg, by comparison, the EC legal limit for fresh water is 40 mg/kg.
Nitrate level can reach 3 to 4 g/kg in fresh vegetable.
The objective of the project is to improve methodology through intercomparison and to prepare CRMs if necessary.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Data not availableCall for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
CV35 9EF Warwick
United Kingdom
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Participants (22)
65366 GEISENHEIM
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GL55 6LD Chipping Campden
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46004 VALENCIA
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5792 ARSLEV
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33609 Bielefeld
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6232 BAD SODEN
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06074 Ellera Umbra Perugia
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73728 ESSLINGEN AM NECKAR
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1050 BRUXELLES
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00161 Roma
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91305 Massy
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31300 Toulouse
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47100 Forlí
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TW11 0LY Teddington
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97070 Würzburg
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2860 SÖBORG
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9000 GENT
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48010 BILBAO
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3097 LIEBEFELD
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15 DUBLIN
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3700 AJ ZEIST
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