Characterization of arsenic in dried baby shrimp (Acetes sp.) using synchrotron-based X-ray spectrometry and LC coupled to ICP-MS/MS

Abstract

The arsenic content of dried baby shrimp (Acetes sp.) was investigated as part of an independent field study of human exposure to toxic metals/metalloids among the ethnic Chinese community located in Upstate New York. The dried baby shrimp were analyzed in a home environment using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) instrument based on monochromatic excitation. Study participants had obtained their dried baby shrimp either from a local Chinese market or prepared them at home. The shrimp are typically between 10–20 mm in size and are consumed whole, without separating the tail from the head. Elevated levels of As were detected using portable XRF, ranging between 5–30 μg g⁻¹. Shrimp samples were taken to the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) for Synchrotron Radiation μXRF (SR-μXRF) elemental mapping using a 384-pixel Maia detector system. The Maia detector provided high resolution trace element images for As, Ca, and Br, (among others) and showed localized accumulation of As within the shrimp's cephalothorax (head), and various abdominal segments. As quantification by SR-μXRF was performed using a lobster hepatopancreas reference material pellet (NRC-CNRC TORT-2), with results in good agreement with both portable XRF and ICP-MS. Additional As characterization using μX-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (μXANES) with the Maia XRF detector at CHESS identified arsenobetaine and/or arsenocholine as the possible As species present. Further arsenic speciation analysis by LC-ICP-MS/MS confirmed that the majority of As (>95%) is present as the largely non-toxic arsenobetaine species with trace amounts of arsenocholine, methylated As and inorganic As species detected.