Ion chromatographic determination of sulfites in foods

Ion chromatography (IC) is shown to be a promising technique for the determination of sulfites (SO2, SO2/3-) in foods. Results of a 10 min flash distillation and 10 min IC determination compare favorably with the results from the conventional Monier-Williams method for total sulfite in a variety of food matrices. The IC technique also provides a wealth of additional information, such as (1) sulfite and sulfate (oxidized sulfite) content of the spiking or treatment solution, (2) residual sulfite applied to the food after oxidation losses in the treatment process, (3) free sulfite in foods, and (4) total sulfite in foods. As a further check on the Monier-Williams method, the sulfate content of the trapping solution can be determined by IC. Because the IC technique traps the liberated SO2 in a non-oxidizing rather than an oxidizing medium, it is considered free from interfering sulfides and organic sulfur-containing groups which can give false positives in the Monier-Williams method. IC thus offers a high speed, more sensitive, and cost-effective alternative to conventional techniques for the determination of sulfite in foods.