Itrax micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) for soft biological tissues

Determination of the elemental composition of soft biological tissue is a time-consuming and tedious process when using traditional analytical techniques. In this method, micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) via Itrax, a scanning instrument, was used to determine elemental abundance at a resolution of 200 μm. Itrax μXRF was initially designed for elemental profiling of geological cores, and the capability of this technique was extended to soft biological tissue samples. The samples were dried and ground into a fine powder before analysis. The scanner generates elemental values as counts per 1 mm and these values are standardised to obtain the relative elemental abundance of the elements present in the samples. The acquired data can be used for environmental and biological research. • No literature could be found whereby the capability of Itrax μXRF has been extended to soft biological tissue samples. • The major advantages Itrax has over conventional methods is that it is a simultaneous technique which allows data to be acquired for over 30 elements at once with minimal sample preparation. • It is a non-destructive process where the samples can be re-used for additional analyses if necessary; this is especially useful when there is only a limited amount of sample available for other analyses.