Development and Validation of an Analytical Method for Nitrite and Nitrate Determination in Meat Products by Capillary Ion Chromatography (CIC)

Among food additives, nitrite and nitrate salts are the most used in meat products. This is due to their capacity to inhibit microbiological growth, enhance the characteristic meat red-pink color, and maintain the freshness. These additives may be harmful for human health, so the legislation closely restricted their use in meat products. Within official controls, ion chromatography with suppressed conductivity detection is the most used and well-established technique for the analytical determination of nitrite and nitrate. However, this technique may suffer of analytical drawbacks related to matrix interferences. In this study, we developed and validated an alternative method by capillary ion chromatography (CIC) coupled to conductivity detection, for this type of analytical determination. The method was fully validated following the most updated guidelines and according to the European Normative, for the analysis of different types of meat products. All the validation parameters resulted as satisfactory. The comparison with conventional ion chromatography demonstrated that the proposed method is characterized by higher sensitivity and selectivity toward interferences. Consequently, it represents a valid alternative to conventional procedures for the determination of nitrite and nitrate in meat products.