Copper and iron determination in edible vegetable oils by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after extraction with diluted nitric acid

In this article, a new method for determining copper and iron in edible vegetable oils by using atomic absorption spectrometry is discussed. The metals were extracted from low quantities of oil (1–2 g) with a 10% nitric acid solution. The acid solution obtained can be injected directly into the atomic absorption furnace. The proposed method is simple and allows copper and iron to be determined in edible vegetable oils with a precision estimated below 15% relative standard deviation (RSD) for Cu and 10% for Fe.