General sample treatments for eggs, milk, and meat

4 General sample treatments for eggs, milk, and meat 

The most common meats consumed by humans in developed countries are beef, pork, sheep, chicken, turkey, fish, and more rarely goats. Other minor-use species (and tissues, e.g., tripe) are commonly consumed by certain ethnic groups or infrequently 

In general, the physical structure of the tissue must be broken down mechanically followed by an extraction procedure, before the sample can be analyzed. Homogenization using blenders, probe homogenizers, cell disrupters, sonicators, or pestle grinders is particularly useful for muscle, liver, and kidney samples. Regardless of the method used for tissue disruption, the pulse, volume of extraction solvent added, and temperature should be validated and standardized in order to ensure reproducible analytical results. During cell disruption, care should be taken to avoid heat build-up in the sample, because the analyte may be heat labile. 

Specific extraction methods are used to prepare the analyte for immunoassay by freeing the analyte fromboth specific and nonspecific interferences. Supercritical fluid extraction has been used to decrease the amount of solvent waste generated. Solid-phase extraction has gained popularity, and many different supports are available. One promising extraction and concentration method is immunoaffinity chromatography, which will be addressed later. 

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