Improved determination of chlorite and chlorate in rinse water from carrots and green beans by liquid chromatography and amperometric and conductivity detection.

A method is presented for determining chlorite and chlorate in the presence of interfering organic compounds in rinse water from vegetables. Rinse water from cut raw carrots and green beans was fortified separately with chlorite and chlorate, filtered (0.45 microns), and analyzed by liquid chromatography with amperometric and conductivity detection. Detection limits for chlorite and chlorate in carrot rinse water were 17 and 50 ppb, respectively. Average recoveries from rinse water were 95% for chlorite in a 0.084-1.00 ppm range and 90% for chlorate in a 0.078-1.00 ppm range.