Determination of iodide and thiocyanate in powdered milk and infant formula by on-line enrichment ion chromatography with photodiode array detection

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Thiocyanate ranks after perchlorate as a potent inhibitor of iodide uptake by the thyroid but may be more concentrated in some food items such as milk products as to supersede perchlorate as the goitrogen of concern. A column-switching anion-exchange chromatographic method with UV spectral detection was developed to measure and confirm iodide and thiocyanate in powders of dry milk and infant formula. An aqueous solution was subjected to centrifugal ultrafiltration, the ultrafiltrate was cleaned up on a carbon solid-phase extraction column, and an aliquot was transferred to a precolumn for enrichment and subsequent injection onto an analytical column. In infant formula samples, thiocyanate was found at 2.0–5.1 mg/kg in five of seven milk-based products and was not found in the other two nor in three soy-based products tested (0.2 mg/kg LOQ); iodide was found at 0.3–1.3 mg/kg (0.04 mg/kg LOQ). In 13 dry milk samples, thiocyanate was found at 27–38 mg/kg (1 mg/kg LOQ), and iodide was found at 1.8–3.2 mg/kg (0.2 mg/kg LOQ).