Alternative methods for SO2 determination

This white paper deals with the preservative sulphur dioxide (SO2) and how to determine this substance in foodstuffs. SO2 is present – generally in gaseous form or dissolved in water – in many day-to-day foods such as dried fruit, wine, potato dishes and seafood.

Although SO2 has classic antimicrobial properties, it also has a toxic effect, and so in the EU it must be labelled when it is found in concentrations of 10 mg/kg or higher.

For food producers, this involves a delicate balancing act: on the one hand, they need to comply with the specified limit values, but at the same time, the SO2 content has to be high enough to achieve its full effect. It is therefore very important to have an analysis method that is both as precise as possible and also efficient – both for consumers and for manufacturers.

In our white paper we present 2 alternative methods for SO2 determination, the optimised Monier-Williams method (oMW) and automatic water steam distillation.