Validation and measurement uncertainty evaluation of the ICP-OES method for the multi-elemental determination of essential and nonessential elements from medicinal plants and their aqueous extracts

Abstract

The paper presents the development, validation, and evaluation of measurement uncertainty of a method for quantitative determination of essential and nonessential elements in medicinal plants and their aqueous extracts by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The detailed validation of the analytical procedure and calculation of the measurement uncertainty budget allowed the recognition of the methods' critical points. The obtained limit of quantification, repeatability, and measurement uncertainty were satisfactory. The trueness of the method was verified by recovery estimation using certified reference materials. The recovery rates of all metals were between 95% and 105%. The paper presents for the first time all the steps needed to evaluate the measurement uncertainty and validate the determination method of selected elements in medicinal plants and their aqueous extracts. In summary, the obtained results demonstrate that the method can be applied effectively for the designed purpose.