Stable isotope approach to fission product element studies of soil-to-plant transfer and in vitro modelling of ruminant digestion using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract

A stable isotope approach has been used to investigate two aspects of the behaviour of fission product elements in the environment and food chain using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Limits of detection (dry mass LODs) of 0.053 mg kg^–1 for Sr, 0.011 mg kg^–1 for Cs and 0.084 mg kg^–1 for Ce were low enough to allow the determination of soil-to-plant transfer factors for soft fruit and the application of the approach to an in vitro model of ruminant digestion. The multi-element measurement capability of ICP-MS also permitted the analysis of selected nutrients, including zinc, in in vitro experiments.