Laboratory Tests Used to Detect Minerals
Test Used To Detect Zinc Levels When doctors want to know what is going on in the body in terms of zinc deficiency, they may use the Zinc Taste Test. When a patient is deficient in zinc, they most likely experience diminished taste. According to Gruner & Arthur (2012), the zinc taste test involves “the patient holding five to ten millimeters of a 0.1% sulphate septahydrate solution in their mouth, swallow it and are asked to describe the taste after ten seconds.” There are guideline created that categorizes the patient’s response after drinking the solution. The guidelines are based on the Bryce-Smith scoring system, which is from a one to four. A score that is lower than three is an indication zinc deficiency. This test is only used to screen one’s zinc status. It is not very specific or sensitive, but doctors use it to get an idea of the patient’s zinc status. The serum levels of zinc are lower than the intracellular levels of zinc; therefore, the serum level of zinc may not mirror the patient’s zinc status. It is important to understand that the zinc levels change based on the time of day. Zinc levels are lower at night and high in the morning. In addition, there are some drugs that can affect the zinc levels such as thiazides, Disulfirams and Clofibrates. When …show more content…
This methodology will provide a quantitative analysis. It determines if there are any zinc in the sample by using the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by free atoms. A flame is created to atomize the sample. The solution is aspirated into the flame. Many of the atoms that are in the solution are at ground state. When a light at a specific wavelength is sent through the sample, the electrons will become excited. The absorbance of the sample is recorded and it is directly proportional to the amount of atoms that is in the flame (Marcel,
Test Used To Detect Zinc Levels When doctors want to know what is going on in the body in terms of zinc deficiency, they may use the Zinc Taste Test. When a patient is deficient in zinc, they most likely experience diminished taste. According to Gruner & Arthur (2012), the zinc taste test involves “the patient holding five to ten millimeters of a 0.1% sulphate septahydrate solution in their mouth, swallow it and are asked to describe the taste after ten seconds.” There are guideline created that categorizes the patient’s response after drinking the solution. The guidelines are based on the Bryce-Smith scoring system, which is from a one to four. A score that is lower than three is an indication zinc deficiency. This test is only used to screen one’s zinc status. It is not very specific or sensitive, but doctors use it to get an idea of the patient’s zinc status. The serum levels of zinc are lower than the intracellular levels of zinc; therefore, the serum level of zinc may not mirror the patient’s zinc status. It is important to understand that the zinc levels change based on the time of day. Zinc levels are lower at night and high in the morning. In addition, there are some drugs that can affect the zinc levels such as thiazides, Disulfirams and Clofibrates. When …show more content…
This methodology will provide a quantitative analysis. It determines if there are any zinc in the sample by using the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by free atoms. A flame is created to atomize the sample. The solution is aspirated into the flame. Many of the atoms that are in the solution are at ground state. When a light at a specific wavelength is sent through the sample, the electrons will become excited. The absorbance of the sample is recorded and it is directly proportional to the amount of atoms that is in the flame (Marcel,