# The Role of Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence to Predict Mineral Content in Untreated Bovine Plasma

## TL;DR

This study explores using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence to quickly and inexpensively measure mineral levels in bovine plasma without sample preparation.

## Contribution

The study is the first to assess ED-XRF for mineral prediction in untreated bovine plasma.

## Key findings

- ED-XRF showed moderate accuracy only for potassium prediction.
- Prediction accuracy for other minerals was insufficient without sample preparation.
- Sample preparation may be necessary to improve mineral determination using ED-XRF.

## Abstract

Minerals are essential for animal health but measuring their levels in blood with traditional methods is costly and time-consuming. While some studies have explored the use of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence in biological matrices, including plasma, none has assessed its applicability in untreated samples. This study evaluates the potential of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence to predict the concentrations of sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, chloride, potassium, calcium, selenium, and iron in unprocessed plasma samples.

Minerals and trace elements are vital for numerous physiological processes in mammals. The current reference analysis for mineral determination in biological matrices is inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This analysis is costly, time-consuming, and destructive. While commercial kits are a viable alternative to ICP-MS due to the lower cost, their limit lies in the ability of determining only one mineral at a time. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) has been proposed as a potential alternative for the rapid determination of mineral concentration in biological matrices. This study evaluated the accuracy of ED-XRF as an alternative to commercial diagnostic kits to predict the concentrations of sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, chloride, potassium, calcium, iron, and selenium in cattle plasma without sample pretreatment, potentially reducing the time of analysis compared to commercial kits and costs and labor compared to ICP-MS. Reference mineral concentrations were determined in 277 samples using in vitro diagnostics regulation-certified commercial diagnostic kits. The results indicated a moderate prediction accuracy only for potassium. For the other minerals, the prediction accuracy of ED-XRF was insufficient, which suggests that some degree of sample preparation is necessary to improve the determination of minerals in plasma.