Consumers select fruit juice because it is a tasty, convenient beverage and generally understood to be a more nutritious alternative to carbonated beverages. For 100% juice products, the nutrition content of the original fruit itself is well known, which translates to the expected nutritional value of the final juice product. Detailed labeling is required on food products; for consumers, any comparative variance can be a strong incentive to choose one product over another. In an effort to appeal to consumers and address market needs, many juice products may also be fortified with micronutrients to boost or add to what is already present naturally.
While ICP-OES is generally favored as a multi-element analytical method, the cost savings, simplicity and speed of operation of flame atomic absorption (AA) provides an attractive alternative. This work demonstrates the ability of the PinAAcle™ 900 AA with a FAST Flame sample automation accessory to rapidly and accurately measure nutritional elements in fruit juices.