Development and metrological evaluation of a certified reference material (CPP-23) for multi-element analysis of cereal plant tissue powder

Development and metrological evaluation of a certified reference material (CPP-23) for multi-element analysis of cereal plant tissue powder | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Development and metrological evaluation of a certified reference material (CPP-23) for multi-element analysis of cereal plant tissue powder Aziz SOULAIMANI, Mohamed EL Gharous, Khalil EL Mejahed, Reda Oulfakir, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8821564/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Accurate determination of macro- and micronutrients in cereal plant tissues is essential for crop nutrition management, environmental monitoring, and interlaboratory data comparability. Despite the availability of plant-based certified reference materials worldwide, no CRM currently exists for Moroccan cereals from semi-arid and arid regions covering both major and trace elements. To fill this gap, we developed and certified a new Certified Reference Material, Cereal Plant Powder 2023 (CPP-23), specifically designed for multi-element analysis of wheat and barley tissues. Composite cereal samples collected from diverse Moroccan agro-ecological regions were air-dried, milled (< 0.5 mm), homogenized, and bottled under controlled conditions. Homogeneity and stability were assessed according to ISO 33405:2024, showing no significant variations under short-term and long-term conditions. Elemental characterization was performed using microwave-assisted digestion followed by ICP-AES for macro- (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na) and microelements (Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn, B), with Kjeldahl analysis for total nitrogen. Analytical validation confirmed linearity (R² > 0.999), repeatability (RSD < 2%), and accuracy verified against certified reference materials. An interlaboratory comparison involving eight ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratories was conducted following ISO 13528 (Algorithm A) to assign certified values and estimate uncertainties, with expanded uncertainties (k = 2, 95% CL) below 15% for all analytes. CPP-23 meets ISO 17034 requirements, providing a traceable, statistically validated standard for the calibration, quality control, and method validation of multi-element analysis in agricultural and environmental laboratories. Certified Reference Material Cereal plant Multi-element analysis ICP-AES metrological traceability Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files pptgraphicabsractCPP23V01.pdf TableS1.ValuesofLODandLOQTableS1.docx TablethesupplementarymaterialTableS2.docx TablethesupplementarymaterialTableS3.docx TablethesupplementarymaterialTableS4.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8821564","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":596126329,"identity":"acb0585e-cc77-45da-ae68-a8fad06d3fc4","order_by":0,"name":"Aziz 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Despite the availability of plant-based certified reference materials worldwide, no CRM currently exists for Moroccan cereals from semi-arid and arid regions covering both major and trace elements. To fill this gap, we developed and certified a new Certified Reference Material, Cereal Plant Powder 2023 (CPP-23), specifically designed for multi-element analysis of wheat and barley tissues. Composite cereal samples collected from diverse Moroccan agro-ecological regions were air-dried, milled (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.5 mm), homogenized, and bottled under controlled conditions. Homogeneity and stability were assessed according to ISO 33405:2024, showing no significant variations under short-term and long-term conditions. Elemental characterization was performed using microwave-assisted digestion followed by ICP-AES for macro- (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na) and microelements (Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn, B), with Kjeldahl analysis for total nitrogen. 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