Simultaneous determination and risk assessment of five anions in eggs and egg products by ion chromatography

Monitoring inorganic anions in eggs and egg products is important for assessing food safety and quality. Accordingly, an ion chromatography (IC) method was developed for the simultaneous separation and detection of five common inorganic anions-fluoride (F⁻), chloride (Cl⁻), nitrite (NO₂⁻), nitrate (NO₃⁻), and sulfate (SO₄²⁻). Samples were extracted using distilled deionized water through ultrasonication, followed by centrifugation. Then, the filtrate was purified by passing it through a C18 solid phase extraction cartridge. The analysis employed an IonPac AS19 anion exchange chromatography column with an automatically generated potassium hydroxide (KOH) eluent and a conductivity detector. Method validation demonstrated excellent performance, a broad linear range (0-40 mg/L) with a good linear correlation (r² > 0.999), satisfactory recoveries (91.9-101.5%), low detection limits (0.003-0.011 mg/kg), and acceptable precision (RSD of 1.53-3.93%). Using this method, the anion contents in eggs and egg products were analyzed, and then the associated quality and safety risks were evaluated. Pollution risks were conducted using point assessment and food safety index methods. The results showed that the average food safety indices for fluoride, chloride, nitrite, sulfate, and nitrate ranged from 0.04 to 0.5, with maximum values between 0.3 and 0.8, indicating a relatively low health risk and within safe levels. Overall, this study can be effectively used for monitoring anion contents in eggs and egg products and assessing associated risks. • A simple ionic chromatography method for fluoride, chloride, nitrite, sulfate and nitrate analysis was developed and validated. • The fluoride, chloride, nitrite, sulfate and nitrate contents in eggs and egg products were analyzed by applying the method. • The risk of anion leakage in eggs and egg products from Jiangxi region of China was low. • The proposed method was suitable for fluoride, chloride, nitrite, sulfate and nitrate analysis and exposure assessment in eggs and egg products.