Reverse-phase liquid chromatographic determination of benzoic and sorbic acids in fresh cheese

The sorbate and benzoate contents of commercial fresh cheese (quarg) samples are determined by reverse-phase liquid chromatography following extraction with a methanol-acetate buffer pH 4.5 mixture (37 + 63). The mobile phase is acetonitrile-acetate buffer pH 4.5 (20 + 80), the effluent flow rate is maintained at 1.0 mL/min, and the detector is set at 232 nm. Recoveries from quarg spiked at the 5-50 mg/kg level ranged from 95 to 99%, which compares favorably with methods previously published. Precision averaged 2-5% RSD, whereas the limit of detection was 0.3 mg/kg (sorbic acid) and 1.0 mg/kg (benzoic acid).