Development of hemoglobin A1c certified reference material by liquid chromatography isotope dilution mass spectrometry

We report the development of a National Institute of Metrology (NIM) hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c) certified reference material (CRM). Each CRM unit contains about 10 μL of hemoglobin. Both hemoglobin and glycated hemoglobin were quantitatively determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) with synthesized VHLTPE and glycated VHLTPE as standards. The mass fraction of synthesized VHLTPE or glycated VHLTPE was also quantitatively determined by HPLC-IDMS with NIM amino acid CRMs as standards. The homogeneity and stability of the CRMs were examined with a commercial HbA_1c analyzer based on the HPLC principle. Fifteen units were randomly selected for homogeneity examination, and statistical analysis showed there was no inhomogeneity. Examination of the stability showed that the CRM was stable for at least 6 months at -80 °C. Uncertainty components of the balance, amino acid purity, hydrolysis and proteolysis efficiency, method reproducibility, homogeneity, and stability were taken into consideration for uncertainty evaluation. The certified value of NIM HbA_1c CRM was expressed as the ratio of HbA_1c to total hemoglobin in moles, and was (9.6 ± 1.9)% . The CRM can be used as a calibration or validation standard for clinical diagnostics. It is expected to improve the comparability for HbA_1c measurement in China.     

Development of a certified reference material for the determination of acrylamide in potato chips

A certified reference material (CRM), KRISS CRM 108-10-003, has been developed for analysis of acrylamide in potato chips, as a representative of carbohydrate-rich food cooked in high-temperature oil. The material was prepared by grinding commercially available potato chips to a paste which was then homogenized, bottled in 15-g units, and stored at ?70 °C. Certification, homogeneity and stability testing, were carried out by liquid chromatography–isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (ID-LC–MS). A single ID-LC–MS measurement was performed for each of 10 selected units for certification and homogeneity assessment. The mean measurement result for the 10 bottles, 0.455?±?0.012 mg?kg^?1, was assigned as the certified value of the CRM. The between-bottle homogeneity was 0.8% of the certified value. The within-bottle homogeneity, tested by measuring three replicate sub-samples from each of three randomly selected bottles, was similar to the between-bottle homogeneity. The stability of the CRM under storage conditions (?70 °C) was tested for 21 months and no change in the acrylamide content was observed within the measurement uncertainty. Stability of the CRM at –20 °C (storage at user’s site) and room temperature (for regular use and transportation) was also tested. Also presented is the newly designed procedure for evaluating the uncertainty of the certified value for the characterization scheme used in this study.

藏药诃子质量标志物诃子酸的分离分析及标准化研究

依据GB/T 15000—2008《标准样品工作导则》的要求,研制诃子酸国家标准样品.以诃子的干燥成熟果实为原料,采用大孔吸附树脂、制备型高效液相色谱技术对标准样品进行制备,经过纯度分析、结构鉴定、均匀性检验、稳定性检验,最后进行联合定值.基于高效液相色谱(HPLC)技术,采用不同检测波长进行纯度测试,样品纯度均大于98%.基于液相-质谱(LC-MS)进行纯度分析,未发现明显杂质峰.通过紫外光谱(UV)、红外光谱(IR)、质谱(MS)、核磁共振(NMR)等技术确定其结构为诃子酸.样品均匀性良好,4℃条件下24个月内稳定性良好.定值结果确定诃子酸纯度为98.08%,在95%置信区间范围内的相对扩展不确定度为0.50%.研制出的诃子酸(GSB 11-3725-2020)国家标准样品可用于含量测定、检测方法评定、相关产品的检测与质量控制.     

黄芩素纯度标准物质的定值及其不确定度评定

为了满足食品及医药等领域的检测需求,研制了黄芩素纯度标准物质。采用液相色谱–质谱法和红外光谱法对黄芩素纯度标准物质原料定性后,利用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)和定量核磁技术(Quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy,QNMR)对黄芩素的纯度进行了定值,并用HPLC法对黄芩素纯度标准物质进行了均匀性检验和稳定性考察。对定值结果的不确定度进行了评价,研制的黄芩素纯度标准物质的定值结果和扩展不确定度分别为98.8%,0.8%(k=2)。     

诱惑红溶液标准物质的研制及不确定度评定

建立了食用合成色素诱惑红溶液标准物质的制备和定值方法,研制了100 mg/L的诱惑红溶液标准物质。采用制备液相色谱对筛选的市售原料纯化,得到纯度大于99%的诱惑红纯品;通过核磁共振(1H NMR谱)和液相色谱-质谱(HPLC-LTQ/MS)准确定性分析后,利用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)对诱惑红纯物质进行纯度定值。以0.1 mol/L乙酸铵和甲醇为流动相进行等度洗脱,采用Intersil ODS-C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm)进行分离,检测波长240 nm。为保证纯度测量的准确性,采用多家联合定值对诱惑红的纯度进行定值,诱惑红纯物质的定值纯度为99.61%(λ=240 nm)。诱惑红溶液标准物质经重量-容量法配制后,进行均匀性和稳定性实验,浓度赋值后进行不确定度评定,诱惑红溶液的量值为100 mg/L,扩展相对不确定度为1.0%(k=2)。该溶液标准物质已批准为国家级标准物质,可为相关部门提供检测标准。     

肌酐纯度标准物质的定值方法及其不确定度评定研究

通过定性及定量分析,研究了肌酐纯度标准物质的定值方法,并进行了定值分析的不确定度评定。首先使用三重四极杆质谱仪及核磁共振谱仪(氢谱)对肌酐样品进行定性分析,然后采用质量平衡法(包括液相色谱法、水分、灰分、挥发性物质和无机元素分析)与定量核磁共振法共同对肌酐纯度标准物质进行准确定值,最后对定值结果进行不确定度评定。肌酐的定值结果为99.7%,扩展不确定度为0.4%。该研究对于实际检测中肌酐的准确测定及临床上相关疾病的正确诊断治疗具有重要意义,且经过定值的肌酐纯品还可做定量核磁共振法的定量内标使用。定量分析后的肌酐经过均匀性检验和稳定性考察后可申报为国家标准物质。     

A mussel tissue certified reference material for multiple phycotoxins. Part 3: homogeneity and stability

A candidate certified reference material (CRM) for multiple shellfish toxins (domoic acid, okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins, pectenotoxins, yessotoxin, azaspiracids and spirolides) has been prepared as a freeze-dried powder from mussel tissues (Mytilus edulis). Along with the certified values, the most important characteristics for a reference material to be fit-for-purpose are homogeneity and stability. Acceptable between-bottle homogeneity was found for this CRM. Within-bottle homogeneity was assessed using domoic acid, and it was shown that repeated subsampling of the CRM can be performed precisely down to 0.35 g. Both short- and long-term stability studies carried out under isochronous conditions demonstrated excellent stability of the various toxins present in the material. While degradation of some analytes was observed at +60°C in short-term studies, it was determined that shipping at ambient temperature is adequate. No instability was detected in long-term stability studies, and it was shown that the material can be held at +18°C safely for up to 1 year. To guarantee stability of the CRM over its lifetime the stock will be maintained at −20°C. The results of the homogeneity and stability testing show that CRM–FDMT1 is appropriate for its intended use in quality assurance and quality control of shellfish toxin analysis methods.     

Homogeneity and stability studies during the preparation of a laboratory reference material of soy leaves for the determination of metals

The homogeneity and stability of metals were tested in a candidate laboratory reference material of soy leaves. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry was used to quantify calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, and vanadium. A 6 kg amount of the material, which was dried, ground, and classified as mesh 60, was distributed among 100 bottles. The between-bottle homogeneity test was established by analyzing two subsamples from nine bottles. For the within-bottle test, five determinations of each element of a single bottle were performed. The stability test was performed at temperatures of -10, +27, and +40 degrees C, and after storage times of 4, 12, 24, and 52 weeks. The obtained results indicated that the material was homogeneous and stable under the conditions studied.     

甲基苯丙胺标准物质的定值与不确定度分析

为了建立法庭科学毒品检测量值溯源体系,研制了甲基苯丙胺纯度标准物质。通过红外光谱、质谱法对甲基苯丙胺样品进行定性分析,优化并建立了高效液相色谱(HPLC)、差示扫描量热法(DSC)两种定值分析方法。采用热重分析法和电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定水分和无机离子的含量。通过均匀性与稳定性检验结果表明,甲基苯丙胺标准物质的均匀性良好,稳定性至少1年,同时对其进行了不确定度评定。研制的甲基苯丙胺标准物质的纯度为99.8%,扩展不确定度为0.2%(k=2)。     

加替沙星纯度标准物质研制

研制加替沙星纯度标准物质。采用质量平衡法和氢谱定量核磁法对加替沙星纯度标准物质候选物进行纯度定值,采用卡尔费休法和热重分析法准确测量了影响主成分纯度的水分含量,并考察了水分含量的稳定性。开展了加替沙星纯度定值、均匀性检验、稳定性考察以及不确定度评估。结果表明,加替沙星纯度标准物质的纯度值为93.1%,扩展不确定度为0.6%(k=2),水分含量为6.6%,特性量值均匀性良好,6个月稳定性可靠,被认定为国家二级标准物质,编号为GBW(E) 100476。研制的加替沙星纯度标准物质填补了国内空白,同时也为吸湿性较强的药物纯度标准物质研制过程中水分测定提供了参考与借鉴。     

Development of a candidate certified reference material of cypermethrin in green tea

This paper presents the preparation of a candidate certified reference material (CRM) of cypermethrin in green tea, GLHK-11-01a according to the requirements of ISO Guide 34 and 35. Certification of the material was performed using a newly developed isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) approach, with gas chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (GC–HRMS) and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS). Statistical analysis (one-way ANOVA) showed excellent agreement of the analytical data sets generated from the two mass spectrometric detections. The characterization methods have also been satisfactorily applied in an Asia-Pacific Metrology Program (APMP) interlaboratory comparison study. Both the GC–HRIDMS and GC–IDMS/MS methods proved to be sufficiently reliable and accurate for certification purpose. The certified value of cypermethrin in dry mass fraction was 148 μg kg⁻¹ and the associated expanded uncertainty was 14 μg kg⁻¹. The uncertainty budget was evaluated from sample in homogeneity, long-term and short-term stability and variability in the characterization procedure. GLHK-11-01a is primarily developed to support the local and wider testing community on need basis in quality assurance work and in seeking accreditation.     

Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis for homogeneity evaluation during the preparation of a wheat flour laboratory reference material for inorganic analysis

The development of a homogeneity study during the preparation of a wheat flour laboratory reference material (LRM) for use in the quantification of metals and metalloids is reported. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) was used with validation performed using a certified reference material of wheat flour furnished by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Copper, iron, manganese, phosphor, strontium and zinc were studied in a within-bottle homogeneity test whereas barium, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, strontium, phosphor and calcium were included in a between batch homogeneity study. Standard univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for all analytes. Furthermore an alternative multivariate analysis for homogeneity is proposed by performing ANOVA of principal component scores and by inspection of principal component score graphs and hierarchical cluster analysis dendrograms. The ANOVA F-tests performed on both, the univariate and multivariate parameters, were not significant at the 95% confidence level and indicated homogeneous wheat flour samples. A 10 kg amount of material was processed, which was distributed in 100 bottles, each containing 100 g. For the between-bottle homogeneity test, three replicates were taken from each of 10 bottles selected of the 100 bottles obtained. The results were evaluated using an F-test, which demonstrated no significant difference for the between-bottle results. It is indicative that this material is homogeneous. Afterwards, the influence of the sample mass on the homogeneity of the material was also evaluated by quantification of the elements for 100, 300, 500, 700 and 1000 mg sample masses with all the experiments being performed in triplicate. The F-test was also used for evaluation of these results and demonstrated that the material is homogeneous for masses taken in the 100 to 1000 mg range. All these results were further evaluated employing the principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) multivariate techniques. Both techniques also demonstrated that the material is perfectly homogeneous for use as laboratory reference material.     

Use of multivariate statistical analysis to evaluate experimental results for certification of two pharmaceutical reference materials

This paper demonstrates the use of the multivariate analysis for the quick and easy evaluation of the experimental results from the homogeneity test of two new certified reference materials (CRM) of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API): metronidazole and captopril. The principal component analysis (PCA) and the hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) indicated that some results from the homogeneity test were statistically different when the concentrations of all API impurities were considered simultaneously. Through the use of these statistical tools, it was possible to reduce the standard uncertainty due to between-bottle (in)homogeneity (u _bb) and consequently the combined standard uncertainty of the certified reference materials (u _CRM) with 95% confidence level.     

诺龙甲醇溶液标准物质的研制

利用色-质联用法和红外光谱法对诺龙纯品原料定性后,采用高效液相色谱多家定值方法对诺龙纯度进行定值,经重量法配制,制得了诺龙甲醇溶液标准物质,并对制备的溶液标准物质进行均匀性和稳定性检验.对定值不确定度进行了评定,当诺龙甲醇溶液标准物质的浓度为1.00 mg/mL时,相对扩展不确定度为1.0%,k=2.     

Development of a new certified reference material of high-purity chrysin for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine

Chrysin, a naturally occurring flavone, extracted from traditional Chinese herbs and abundantly found in propolis has been known to exhibit a wide range of biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, and anti-tumour activities. Among this, its anticancer effects make chrysin promising to be a candidate drug. The objective of this study was to develop a new certified reference material (CRM) for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine, chrysin, and the related pharmaceuticals. The studies of sample preparation, homogeneity, stability, value assignment, and uncertainty evaluation were accomplished in this paper. Two different methods, namely differential scanning calorimetry and coulometric titration, were utilized for the first time to determine the purity of chrysin. The purity of the high-purity chrysin CRM, after validation and evaluation, was certified to be (0.996 ± 0.015) g/g (k = 2).     

Development of melamine certified reference material in milk using two different isotope dilution mass spectrometry techniques

A new certified reference material (CRM) of melamine in milk GLHK-11-02 was developed aiming to address the great demand from the testing community after the melamine crises. The material was prepared by adding an appropriate quantity of melamine into the skimmed milk samples and the final product was in the form of fine lyophilized powder. Characterization of the material relied on two newly developed gravimetric isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) methods, one using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and another gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Experimental parameters with crucial effects on the performance of the two IDMS methods were thoroughly investigated. These included purity of standard used, equilibration time of isotopes, efficiency of extraction methods as well as possible interferences from the matrix and melamine analogues. Precision was found to be excellent with a coefficient of variation of 2.5% for the LC-IDMS/MS (n=46) and 1.9% for the GC-IDMS (n=30) respectively. Using one-tail Student's t-test at 95% confidence interval, analytical data sets generated from the two methods were found to exhibit no significant difference. Measurement accuracy of the methods was further verified through an Asia Pacific Metrology Program (APMP) pilot study. Analytical results of the present LC-IDMS/MS for the two milk test samples at the concentration level of about 0.45 and 3.5 mg kg(-1) were proven to be very good. There were excellent overlaps between our results and the assigned reference values, and the absolute deviation was less than 3.2%. Both the LC-IDMS/MS and GC-IDMS methods were shown to be sufficiently reliable and accurate for certification of the melamine CRM. Certified value of melamine in dry mass fraction in GLHK-11-02 was 1.14 mg kg(-1). Expanded uncertainty due to sample inhomogeneity, long term and short term stability and variability in the characterization procedure was at 7.1% or 0.08 mg kg(-1). The CRM is primarily used to provide a complete method validation for and to improve the technical competence of melamine analysis to food and chemical testing laboratories.     

钨合金标准物质的研制

介绍钨合金标准物质的研制过程,实验结果表明该标准物质的均匀性、稳定性良好,定值准确可靠,符合ＪＪＧ１００６《一级标准物质技术规范》的要求。     

Preparation and homogeneity study of a mussel candidate reference material for certification of organotin compounds

Organotin compounds are currently determined in various environmental matrices (in particular water, sediment and shellfish) to form the basis of control measures for the levels of contamination, as required in some EC Directives. Accurate measurements are a prerequisite for the enforcement of this legislation, which implies that good quality control of determinations should be ensured. One of the tools for achieving accuracy is to use certified reference materials (CRMs). With regard to tin species, however, CRMs are rather scarce and mainly concern sediment and fish matrices certified for their butyltin content. The present study deals with the preparation of a mussel candidate reference material and the verification of its homogeneity prior to the certification of the contents of butyl- and phenyl-tin compounds. 100kg of mussels (Mytilus edulis) were collected, carefully washed with fresh water in order to eliminate matrix salts and immediately frozen by immersion in liquid nitrogen. The mussels were shelled (in the frozen state) and the edible part was stored in thermally sealed polyethylene bags which were stored at –25 °C. The frozen material was ground in a Teflon-coated grinding mill, spread on sterilized flat trays and freeze-dried. The freeze-dried material was then ground for 15 days in a zirconia ball mill and sieved on a titanium sieve to separate the fibrous part. Successively, the material was mixed for 15 days under argon atmosphere in a special polyethylene-lined mixing drum and bottled in brown Pyrex-glass bottles. 21 bottles were selected during the course of the bottling procedure to verify the within- and between-bottle homogeneity of the overall batch. The within-bottle homogeneity was verified by determining the organotin (butyl- and phenyltins) content for subsamples of 500 mg in ten replicates from one bottle, whereas the between-bottle homogeneity was controlled by one organotin measurement from each of 20 bottles. The analyses were performed by GC-MS. The results showed that the homogeneity of the material makes it suitable as a candidate reference material.     

Development of an obidoxime chloride reference material: a metrological approach to the determination of chromatographic purity

A metrological approach to determination of the chromatographic purity of obidoxime chloride and the corresponding obidoxime chloride reference material (RM) with a certified chromatographic purity value have been developed. This value was defined as the ratio of the sum of peak areas of obidoxime chloride isomers to the total peak area of detected substances including impurities (%) under specified HPLC–UV conditions. The RM homogeneity and stability were studied using HPLC with UV detection and evaluated as satisfactory. The certified value calculated from the results of an interlaboratory trial was equal to 99.9% with the expanded uncertainty of 0.6% at the level of confidence 0.95 and the coverage factor 2. The RM certified value, like other results of chromatographic purity determination traceable to the reference measurement procedure, is not traceable directly to the SI mole. However, the results are comparable in metrologically traceable environments, i.e. when relevant measuring laboratory instruments are calibrated with traceability chains to the corresponding SI units. Therefore, the RM can be used as a measurement standard (calibrator) for analytical instruments and as a control sample for quality control of HPLC obidoxime chloride assay results.     

Certified reference material for analytical quality assurance of minor and trace elements in food and related matrixes based on a typical Japanese diet: interlaboratory study

A Certified Reference Material (CRM) was prepared at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan, in collaboration with the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Japan, for the analytical quality assurance of minor and trace elements in food and related matrixes. The starting material for the CRM was all food served in 29 households in Japan over two 3-day periods in 1997-1998, and thus the CRM represented a typical Japanese diet. All foods (meals, snacks, and beverages) were homogenized, freeze-dried, pulverized, blended, dispensed into 1,100 bottles, and sterilized. The within- and between-bottle homogeneity of the prepared CRM was satisfactory for most of the elements. The concentrations of 14 elements (Na, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Cd, Sn, Ba, and U) were certified based on a collaborative analysis involving NIES, NIRS, and 20 other laboratories. Reference values were given for the concentrations of 12 additional elements (P, Cl, Fe, Co, Ni, Br, Rb, Mo, I, Cs, Pb, and Th). The elements certified and those given reference values include minerals, essential trace elements, contaminant elements, and long-lived radionuclides. Thus, this CRM is of practical value in the quality assurance of element analysis of foods and diets in nutritional, environmental, and radiological research.