Speaker
Description
An instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) method was developed for the determination of some major, minor and trace elements in 93 different Canadian food samples. One portion of the sample was irradiated for 1 min at a neutron flux of 4 x 1011 cm-2 s-1 in the Kyoto University Reactor (KUR), Japan. Gamma-ray spectra of the irradiated samples were recorded after 1.5 min decay for 5 min using a Compton suppression Ge detector system. Levels of Br, Ca, Cl, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, Na, and Ti were measured using their short-lived nuclides. Then, another portion of the samples was irradiated for 1 h at a neutron flux of 2 x 1013 cm-2 s-1 in KUR. Gamma-ray spectra of these samples were recorded after one-month decay for 20-30 min using a Ge detector system. Levels of Ag, Ba, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, and Zn were obtained using their long-lived nuclides. The INAA method used was validated using NIST 1566b Oyster Tissue, NIST 1570a Spinach Leaves, NIST 1575 Pine Needles, NIST 1577b Bovine Liver, and NRCC TORT-1 Lobster Hepatopancreas certified reference materials. Our values agreed well with the certified values. Details of the method and results will be presented.
