Working group elements and element species

• Preparation of publications on carrying out analyses.
• Use and revision of standardised methods/standards.
• Practical reports by members on analytical topics.

• Application of processing factors in the legal assessment of element contents in processed and/or composite foods (April 2024) (pdf)
• Reporting measurement uncertainties in the context of official control of trace elements in food (April 2024) (pdf)
• Position paper on the preparation of food samples for trace element analysis (April 2024) (pdf)
• Position paper on taking recovery rates into account in element determinations (August 2018) (pdf)
• Position paper on the validation of methods for determining elements in samples covered by the National Residue Control Plan (NRKP) (August 2018) (pdf)
  Due to changes in the legal situation, this paper is no longer required. It was withdrawn with effect from 1 January 2023 by resolution of the working group dated 28 October 2022.
• Position paper of the working groups food industry, food monitoring, Quality Management & Hygiene, food laboratories, elements and element species and pesticides of the Food Chemistry Society (LChG) on the reporting and application of expanded measurement uncertainty – version dated 25 April (2018) (pdf)
  

All position papers have been reviewed and are up to date.

Poster "Interference with mass spectrometric element analysis in food caused by rare earth metals and tungsten at the German Food Chemists’ Days 2025 in Haale/Saale"

Poster "Variation in analytical results in the element analysis of food" for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2023 in Bonn

Poster on "Limitations of multi-methods in trace element analysis" for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2022 in Hamburg

Poster on the “Determination of iodine in food – comparison of DIN EN 15111 and ISO 20647 with practical tips from the working group” for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2021 in Wuppertal/Online

Poster on “Sample preparation for the determination of elements in cosmetics and tattoo inks” for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2019 in Dresden

English Version of the Poster “Sample Preparation for the Determination of Elements in Cosmetics and Tatoos” for Congress of German Food Chemists 2019 in Dresden“

Poster on "Information and working aids from the working group elements and element species" for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2018 in Berlin

Poster on “Homogenisation of food for trace element analysis” for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2016 in Freising

Poster on the “Determination of elements in cosmetics using ICP-MS” for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2016 in Freising

Poster on the “Determination of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Tl, U and Zn in food using ICP-MS” for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2015 in Karlsruhe

Poster from the working group for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2015 in Karlsruhe

lecture on "Analytical challenges in the determination of aluminium" on the occasion of the German Food Chemists’ Day 2014 in Gießen

Poster on "Coupling methods for the determination of element species" from the working group for the German Food Chemists’ Day 2012 in Münster

Poster on "Recovery and measurement uncertainty in element determinations", presented at the German Food Chemists’ Day 2011 in Halle

Poster on "Extraction methods for the determination of arsenic species in rice", presented at the Regional Association Conference 2010 in Erlangen

Poster on "Cadmium in chocolate and cocoa products", presented at the German Food Chemists’ Day 2009 in Berlin

Poster from the working group "Limitations in the determination of aluminium in food", presented at the German Food Chemists’ Day 2008 in Kaiserlautern

Methods overview

• Author paper: Aluminium in mineral food supplements: Analysis and assessment – Lebensmittelbrief 37 – 07/08 2026 – pp. 25-27 (PDF)
• Author paper: Aluminium in mineral food supplements: Analysis and assessment – food chemistry 79 – pp. 186-190 (PDF)
• Author paper: Elemental analysis in food - Dealing with varying analytical results - DLR 11/2023 - pp. 458-461 (PDF)
• Author paper: Foundational paper: Sample preparation of food for trace element analysis – food chemistry 73 – pp. 120-125 (PDF)
• Author paper: Analysis of cosmetic products - DLR 06/2017 - pp. 254-258 (PDF)
• Author paper: Importance of sample preparation of food - DLR 02/2017 - pp. 58-63 (PDF)

from the Lebensmittelchemie journal:

LMC 03-21, Aluminium (AI)
LMC 05-20, Antimony (Sb)
LMC 04-22, Arsenic (As)
LMC 05-21, Lead (Pb)
LMC 01-25 Chromium (Cr)
LMC 02-21, Iodine (I)
LMC 01-26, Nickel (Ni)
LMC 03-24, Palladium (Pd)
LMC 04-20, Mercury (Hg)
LMC 01-21, Selenium (Se)
LMC 02-24 Silicon (Si)
LMC 06-20, Thallium (TI)
LMC 04-24 Titanium (Ti)
LMC 02-23, Zinc (Zn)
LMC 04-21, Tin (Sn)