Determination of isotope ratios in human tissues enriched with zinc stable isotope tracers using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Enriched fecal and urine samples were prepared using ion-exchange column chromatography for analysis by Inductively Coupled and Fast Atom Bombardment Mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, FAB-MS) to compare precision between methods. Unenriched samples of human milk, feces, and whole blood were prepared similarly to monitor instrumental precision and analytical error. A least squares fit of the ICP-MS results vs the FAB-MS for 70Zn/64Zn gave a slope of 0.98, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of only 0.7%. The results for 68Zn/64Zn gave a slope of 0.82, with a RSD of 14%. For unenriched tissues, all potential interferences were removed by the preparation procedure with no significant differences between preparation for isotope ratios of 70Zn/64Zn, 68Zn/64Zn, 67Zn/64Zn, and 66Zn/64Zn. Poisson counting statistics are a major contribution to the total analytical error indicating the usefulness of this procedure for enrichment studies.