Measurements of the potassium content of samples of food, performed with High Purity Germanium detectors, are presented in this paper. The potassium content was measured by identifying the 1460 keV photons produced in the decay of the isotope 40K. Samples were selected, for which a high potassium content was expected. The measurements confirmed the expectations qualitatively, but not always quantitatively. Especially the expected dependence of the potassium content of chocolate on the listed percentage of cacao could not be confirmed.
Knoll, G.F. (2000) Radiation Detection and Measurement. 3rd Edition.
[3]
Vaessen, H.A.M.G. and van de Kamp, C.G. (1989) Sodium and Potassium Assay of Foods and Biological Substrates by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 61, 113-120.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/pac198961010113
[4]
Emumejaye, K. (2012) Determination of the Potassium 40 Concentration in Some Powdered Milk Samples Consumed In Delta State, Nigeria. IOSR Journal of Applied Physics (IOSR-JAP), 2, 8-12.
[5]
Hoeling, B., Reed, D. and Siegel, P.B. (1999) Going Bananas in the Radiation Laboratory. American Association of Physics Teachers, 67, 440-442.
[6]
Escareno-Juarez, E. and Vega-Carrillo, H.R. (2012) K-40 Measurement to Determine the Total Potassium Content. Revista Mexicana de Fisica, 58, 211-214.
[7]
Acquaha, G.F. and Pokoo-Aikinsb, M. (2013) Foodstuffs and Cancer: Analysis of Radionuclides and Its Radiation Levels in Common Ghanaian Maize. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 12.
4-Channel 75 MHz PXI Digital Spectrometer Data Sheet.
[12]
(2015) Wavemetrics. www.wavemetrics.com
[13]
Schuster, M. (2014) Analysis of Potassium Induced Radioactivity in Chocolates Based on Spectra Taken with High Purity Germanium Detectors. Bachelor Thesis.
[14]
Phillips, G.W. and Marlow, K.W. (1976) Automatic Analysis of Gamma-Ray Spectra from Germanium Detectors. Nuclear Instruments and Methods, 137, 525-536. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0029-554X(76)90472-9
[15]
Mcnelles, L.A. and Campbell, J.L. (1975) Analytic Approximations to Peak Shapes Produced by Ge(Li) and Si(Li) Spectrometers. Nuclear Instruments and Methods, 127, 73-81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0029-554X(75)90304-3
[16]
(2015) ROOT Data Analysis Framework. http://root.cern.ch/drupal/
[17]
(2014) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 27.
[18]
(2012) World Health Organization, Potassium Intake for Adults and Children.
