This European Standard specifies a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and an ion chromatographic (IC) method for determination of the nitrate level in vegetables and vegetable products. This method is applicable for samples with a content of 25 mg/kg or greater.
It has been validated on naturally contaminated and spiked samples as beetroot juice with nitrate mass fractions of 194 mg/kg and 691 mg/kg, pureed carrots with nitrate mass fractions of 26 mg/kg and 222 mg/kg and with iceberg lettuce with nitrate mass fractions of 623 mg/kg and 3 542 mg/kg.