Comparison of three methods of detecting aluminum content in jellyfish products

In this paper, the content of aluminum in jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), spectrophotometry and EDTA titration. The differences of detection results, precision and accuracy were compared, and the advantages and disadvantages of three methods in industrial application were analyzed. The aluminum residue risk of ready-to-eat jellyfish in ten coastal cities of China was investigated by ICP-MS. The results show that there was no significant difference between ICP-MS and spectrophotometry. EDTA titration was different from the other two methods, but the difference was not significant. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the three methods for salted jellyfish and ready-to-eat jellyfish ranged from 1.79% to 4.34%. The RSD of salted jellyfish and ready-to-eat jellyfish by ICP-MS were 92%−104% and 97%−100%, respectively. The RSD of spectrophotometry were 97%−102% and 98%−101%, respectively. The recovery of EDTA titration was 94%−99%, which were relatively low. The three methods all meet the testing requirements, and the appropriate testing method can be selected according to the actual needs. The results also indicate that the Al residue in ready-to-eat jellyfish in some areas is close to the national limit.