Measurement of Lead (Pb) Content in L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) According to the Ninth Edition of Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives

Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives was updated from the eight edition to the ninth edition and issued in 2018. For many additives, the heavy metals limit test as part of the purity test which was based on turbidity is now replaced by the measurement of lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. This article introduces a measurement of the lead content in L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), a widely known food additive, by performing preparation and flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry as described in the ninth edition.