Abstract:

A method based on wet digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was established
for simultaneous determination of fourteen inorganic elements (Al, Pb, As, Cd, Ba, Ni, Mn, Cu, Sr, Co, Cr, Zn, Li, and V)
in different parts of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus). The linear correlative coefficients for all the elements were higher than
0.999, the three multiplied detection limits (3MDLT) were between 0.12 and 2.16 μg/L, and the precision values expressed
as relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 5%. The spiked recovery rates were between 87.35% and 106.88%.
In conclusion, the method was accurate and reliable. As determined by this method, there were no significant differences in
the contents of the 14 inorganic elements among 3 hop cultivars (Marco Polo, SA-1 and Tsingdao Flower). This method was
used to investigate the distribution of essential elements in different parts of the plant during the growth process.

Key words: hops, inorganic elements, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)