The phrase "a small trace" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a minor amount or indication of something, often in contexts like science, forensics, or observations.
Example: "The detective found a small trace of evidence that could lead to the suspect."
Alternatives: "a slight indication" or "a minor hint."
In July 2014, supermarket chain Wegmans received notification from supplier Wawona Packing Co. that its peaches arrived in Australia with a small trace of Listeria monocytogenes.
According to her parents, Rachel Dolezal, the chapter head of the Spokane NAACP, is "biologically" white, with perhaps "a small trace" of American Indian ancestry.
Soon after I arrived in his room, Snowden said, with more than a small trace of mockery, "By the way, that Cincinnatus you just emailed, that's me".
After calcination of the composite nanofibers at temperatures of up to 550 °C, the anatase phase was the major phase in the pure TiO2, and only a small trace of the rutile phase remained.
Of course, a small trace of binary copper sulfide phase is also observed in this sample (such as the tiny peaks at around 29° and 33° should be attributed to CuS phase).
The purple color of the bruise had faded, leaving only a small trace of discoloration.
The embroidery, beginning with a small tracing at the bodice, was quite stunning, at least from what I could see on French television.
Here solid dots represent exact rank 1 solutions (the largest eigenvalue is at least 100 times larger than the sum of the rest of the eigenvalues), and crosses indicate that the trace minimization found a higher rank solution that has a smaller trace.
Here solid dots represent exact rank 1 solutions (largest eigenvalue is at least 100 times larger than the sum of the rest of the eigenvalues), and crosses indicate that the trace minimization found a higher rank solution with a smaller trace.
However, both NRG-2 products contained 4-methylethcathinone (4-MEC) with a smaller, trace, amount of 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MM C) or mephedrone, possibly as an unwanted contaminant, making them illegal.
Usually, this means that some small trace of chemical was used during the bottling process.
