Comparison between ion chromatography and a spectrophotometric method for determination of nitrates in meat products.

Ion chromatography and colorimetry were used to determine nitrate ion concentration in 76 different pork meat products (salami, mortadella, wurstel, raw and cooked ham and other whole-muscle cooked products) and the results were compared. The comparison revealed that the two techniques yield quantitatively similar results, except in cases where the matrix was so complex that it might have influenced the analytical data. These results are consistent with those obtained by other authors who used UV spectrophotometric detection.