Comparison of the Volhard and Potentiometric Methods for the Determination of Chloride in Meat Products: Collaborative Study

Abstract

A collaborative study of the determination of chloride in meat products was conducted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to compare the ISO 1841 method (Volhard titration) with the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Committee method (potentiometric titration). Five canned luncheon meat products containing 0.25-2.0% sodium chloride at 4 different spiking levels were analyzed by 11 laboratories. The data were analyzed by ISO statistics (ISO 5725) and by AOAC statistics (Youden-Steiner), the major differences being in the rejection of outliers and in the statement of precision parameters. Good agreement was found between the mean chloride contents of the products as determined by both methods and with the added amounts, although statistically significantly higher sodium chloride recoveries were obtained with the potentiometric method. The within-laboratory variability (repeatability) is greater for the Volhard method, especially for chloride levels below 1.0%. Therefore it is proposed to set the lowest level of determination for the Volhard method at about 1.0% sodium chloride. The among-laboratories variability (reproducibility) of the potentiometric method was comparable with the results from the collaborative studies for chloride in cheese, giving acceptable values for relative standard deviations of 1.5-3.0% for meat products with 0.3-2.0% added sodium chloride. It is recommended that further work be conducted to reduce or eliminate the systematic error present with the potentiometric method as applied to meat and meat products.