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Frequently asked questions for beverage analysis with ion chromatography

Sep 13, 2021

Article

The analysis of beverages is extremely important for the general health of the population. Why is this so? Our bodies are composed of about 60% water, depending on several factors like weight and sex. Hydration is one of our basic physiological needs, as noted in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. When we are dehydrated, a number of problems occur, from irritability to confusion leading to severe kidney problems and even low blood volume shock in extreme cases. Therefore it is incredibly important for standards to be set by regulatory agencies regarding the contents of the beverages we choose to drink, whether this is water, milk, coffee, juice, soft drinks, beer, wine, or any other number of items. Reliable beverage analysis is critical for many reasons: product monitoring and quality control, general content determination, and to avoid health issues.

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A brief overview of beverage analysis with ion chromatography

Depending on the regulations regarding the concentration limit for a compound as well as on the complexity of the analysis and the detection limit of the determination, different instruments and analysis techniques can be applied for the analysis. For single analyte determination, mostly in a higher concentration range (e.g., sugar determination in wine) instruments like titrators, refractometers, or enzymatic kits can be applied for analysis. For analyte qualification and quantification in complex matrices (e.g., lactose determination in dairy products) instruments like ion chromatographs (IC), high-performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC), gas chromatographs with mass spectrometers (GC-MS), or hyphenated liquid chromatographic techniques (LC-MS/MS) are necessary.

Ion chromatography is a simple and robust analysis technique that is able to measure several components in beverages with relative ease compared to these other technologies.

Typically, conductivity detection is used for IC analysis. Other options are available including UV/VIS and amperometric detectors for more specialized analyses (e.g., carbohydrate analysis).

Find out more about our comprehensive options for IC detection

When analyzing complex beverage matrices like milk, coffee, or wine, sample preparation steps are normally required to protect the instrument (e.g., from contamination or blockages due to particles). Performing these steps manually is a very time-consuming and costly process that is also prone to human errors. Metrohm offers a time-saving solution for this with «MISP»: Metrohm Inline Sample Preparation specifically developed for difficult sample matrices. Several options are available including Inline Ultrafiltration, Inline Dialysis, Inline Dilution, and much more.

Watch our LabCast video below about to learn more about the benefits of using Inline Ultrafiltration in IC.