Tuz Tayini — ISO 1841 / Potansiyometrik Titrasyon / ICP

What Is Salt?

Salt determination is made in two ways. VIA CHLORIDE: the chloride in the sample is determined by titration and converted to sodium chloride equivalent. DIRECT SODIUM: sodium in the sample is measured by ICP and converted to salt equivalent with the conversion coefficient in the legislation. (EU) 1169/2011 provides that the item 'salt' in the nutrition declaration should be calculated from sodium.

Purpose of Salt

The aim is to produce the salt value in the nutritional declaration table and compare the salt content of the product with the specification. Salt reduction programs and nutrition claims are based on this measurement.

Which Products Is Salt Applied To?

Meat and delicatessen products
Cheese and dairy products
Bread and baked goods
Prepared soups and sauces
Snacks and preserves

In Which Sectors Is Salt Used?

FoodAgricultureRetail

Standards Related to Salt

TS EN ISO 1841-1/-2 (meat and meat products — chloride content)
TS EN ISO 5943 (cheese — chloride)
TS EN 15505 (determination of sodium in food — ICP-AES)
TS EN 13805 (pressure solubilization)

Salt Conditions

Method: Direct sodium titration by potentiometric or Volhard titration or ICP
Transformation: The sodium–salt conversion coefficient defined in (EU) 1169/2011 is used
Result: g/100 g veya g/100 mL

Equipment for Salt

Automatic potentiometric titrator
ICP-OES / ICP-MS
Microwave digestion system
Analytical balance and muffle furnace

Sample Requirements for Salt

Homogenized representative sample
Sampling should be careful in products with irregular salt distribution (brine, crusted cheese).
Product type must be declared
Sufficient sample quantity

Duration of Salt

Titrimetric measurement is fast. In sodium determination by ICP, the solubilization step determines the time; Results are usually available within a few business days.

Salt Procedure

1The sample is homogenized and weighed.
2For the chloride method, the sample is extracted or ashed.
3Chloride is determined by potentiometric titration.
4For the ICP method, the sample is solubilized with acid.
5Sodium concentration is measured.
6The result is converted to salt equivalent.

Salt Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria are label declaration and (EU) 1169/2011 tolerance guidelines. For 'low salt' or 'no added salt' claims, the conditions in Annex (EC) 1924/2006 are required.

Evaluation of Results

The two methods measure different things: chloride titration captures all sources of chloride, while ICP captures all sources of sodium. In products containing sodium-containing additives (sodium bicarbonate, sodium glutamate), the ICP result is higher than the chloride result, and this is the one that complies with the legislation.

Salt Report

Sample description and product category
Method applied
Result of chloride or sodium
Conversion coefficient used and calculated salt value
Measurement uncertainty

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on Food Information to Consumers
Nutrition and Health Declarations Regulation (EC) 1924/2006

Food Testing — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Salt test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Food testing shows that a product is safe for consumption and contains what its label states. The family works along three axes: microbiological safety, chemical safety and nutritional composition. All three require different laboratory infrastructure, a different body of methods and a different turnaround time.

The most distinctive feature of the field is TIME PRESSURE. A steel specimen can wait on a shelf; a raw milk or fresh meat sample cannot. The time the sample was taken, the transport temperature and how long it takes to reach the laboratory directly determine the validity of the result. In food microbiology the cold chain record is therefore an inseparable part of the test report.

On the microbiological side there are two different questions and they must not be confused. DETECTION of a pathogen is a qualitative question: is Salmonella present in the sample or not? ENUMERATION of indicator organisms is a quantitative question and an indicator of production hygiene. The absence of a pathogen in a product does not show that hygiene is good; if the total mesophilic aerobic count is high, there is a problem in the process.

On the chemical side, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals, additives, veterinary drug residues and process contaminants (acrylamide, furan, PAH) are measured. Multi-residue methods in this area (QuEChERS-based LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS) can screen hundreds of active substances in a single analysis; limits are defined separately for each product–substance pair.

On the composition side, protein, fat, moisture, ash, fibre, sugar profile, fatty acid composition, vitamin and mineral content are determined. These values are the basis of the nutrition declaration on the label and the tolerance ranges are defined in legislation — the difference between the declared value and the measured value must stay within that tolerance.

There is NO CE marking on food, and this shapes how the field works. Conformity is demonstrated through operating a HACCP-based food safety system, complying with labelling rules and not exceeding contaminant, residue and microbiological limits. A test result produces evidence not for a certificate but for a functioning system.

Allergen management carries particular weight. The presence of an undeclared allergen in a product is one of the most frequent causes of food recalls. Analysis here runs together with cleaning validation: it is shown that the line has been cleaned adequately after a production run containing an allergen and that the risk of cross-contamination is under control.

Voluntary schemes have become effectively mandatory in this field. Retail chains require their suppliers to hold a certificate under a GFSI-recognised scheme (BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000); without it, getting onto the shelf is practically impossible.

Method groups in this field

Pathogen detection
Detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, Cronobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; culture-based and molecular methods.
Indicator counts
Total mesophilic aerobic count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and E. coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, yeasts and moulds, lactic acid bacteria, sulphite-reducing Clostridia.
Pesticide and veterinary residues
Multi-residue screening by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS with QuEChERS extraction.
Mycotoxins and contaminants
Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, patulin; heavy metals (ICP-MS), acrylamide and PAH compounds.
Nutritional composition
Kjeldahl protein, fat and fatty acid profile, moisture, ash, dietary fibre, sugar profile, vitamin and mineral analyses.
Allergens and authenticity
Gluten, milk, egg, nut and soy allergen analyses; molecular methods for species identification and adulteration detection.

Commonly confused in this field

Sampling is half the result. A sample transported at the wrong temperature or delayed gives an invalid result even if it is analysed correctly in the laboratory.
The absence of a pathogen does not show that hygiene is good; indicator counts give separate information and the two are read together.
A result from a sample taken from a lot can be generalised to the whole lot only if the sampling plan was set up statistically.
Limits are defined in separate regulations by product group and are updated regularly; a conformity decision based on an outdated limit table may be wrong.
For exports, the limits of the destination country may differ from EU limits; the same product may be compliant in one market and non-compliant in another.

Which decisions these results support

Verification of the HACCP plan and process monitoring
The basis for the nutrition declaration and allergen information on the label
Health certificates before export and compliance with destination market limits
Supplier and lot-based acceptance control
Shelf-life studies and determining storage conditions
Producing evidence for audits under GFSI-recognised schemes

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Salt

Why are the chloride results and sodium results different?

If the product contains additives that contain sodium but do not contain chloride (baking powder, preservatives, flavorings), sodium will be higher. Since the label declaration is calculated on sodium, the correct ICP result is.