Chloride-based salt determination in meat bouillon and bone broth: A comparative evaluation of Mohr titration and capillary electrophoresis

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the peak characteristics, including migration time, response factor, theoretical plate number, and tailing factor, obtained from capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis of chloride at different concentrations and under two different reference wavelengths, and to validate its application for determining salt (NaCl) content in real food matrices (meat bouillon and bone broth), compared to the Mohr titration. First, CE analysis was conducted using a diode-array detector (DAD) with reference wavelengths of 245 nm and 275 nm over a NaCl concentration range of 5-1000 ppm. According to the results, the response factor at 245 nm was significantly lower than at 275 nm (3.81 vs. 1.01; p < 0.001), consistent with the regression slope, which was steeper at 245 nm than 275 nm (0.7747 vs. 0.1787), indicating a greater peak area at the same concentration and hence higher calibration sensitivity. In contrast, a negative correlation was observed between concentration and both theoretical plate number ( r = -0.876) and tailing factor ( r = -0.884), indicating reduced column efficiency and deteriorated peak symmetry at higher concentrations ( p < 0.001). Subsequently, the CE method was validated in bouillon and broth samples through recovery and precision studies. CE provided comparable accuracy and precision to the Mohr titration, with recovery rates ranging from 84% to 100% and RSD < 5%. The NaCl contents determined by both methods were statistically similar. These findings support CE as a viable, sensitive, and an alternative capability for routine salt analysis in food matrices.