Determination of Boron in hazelnut varieties with the addition of sorbitol by using ICP-OES and ultrasonic nebulization after microwave digestion system

Boron is an essential nutrient for plants and an essential element for many organisms, but can be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms above certain concentrations. The aim of this research is determining the Boron content of four varieties of Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) from Sakarya. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) with ultrasonic nebulization (USN) was used for the determination of Boron contents. This method is based on microwave digestion system and reduced memory effect of Boron by using sorbitol. Different conditions were optimized for this method. Four hazelnut varieties, eight soil samples and certificated reference material (NIM-GBW10012) were analyzed. The Boron contents were found as 18.27, 28.3, 38.6, 17.6 mg/kg in Kara, Sivri, Delisava and Tombul hazelnut varieties, respectively. And Boron contents of soil samples were between 30.44 to 196.79 mg/kg. The results revealed that the Turkish hazelnut is a good natural source of Boron.