The use of ion chromatography to detect adulteration of vodka and rum

Byline: Dirk W. Lachenmeier (1), Rainer Attig (1), Willi Frank (1), Constanze Athanasakis (1) Keywords: Identity of spirits; Vodka; Rum; Ion chromatography; Brand fraud Abstract: The use of ion chromatography to determine anions (chloride, nitrate, and sulphate) for the characterisation of colourless spirits, such as vodka or white rum, is presented. After evaporation to remove the volatiles, the sample was injected directly into the ion chromatograph. The assay showed good precision, never exceeding 1.6% RSD. The analytical results of 51 samples under study reveal that, in particular, the adulteration of brand spirits can be proven by the method described. Author Affiliation: (1) Chemisches und Veterinaruntersuchungsamt (CVUA) Karlsruhe, Weissenburger Str. 3, 76187, Karlsruhe, Germany Article History: Received Date: 14/07/2003 Online Date: 01/10/2003