Electrolytes are minerals that carry an ionic charge when dissolved in solution. Many key electrolytes are lost during exercise, as well as with dehydration and/or rapid loss of fluids. There are various ways to replenish these electrolytes, one being consumption of electrolyte beverages. Many drinks are advertised to replenish electrolytes, but to accurately evaluate electrolyte content in these popular drinks, proper analytical tools are necessary. Eurofins EAG can identify and quantify the different electrolytes using Ion Chromatography (IC). This white paper demonstrates the capabilities that Eurofins EAG has to screen for key electrolytes quickly and accurately in solid (powder) and liquid sample matrices.

In this study, the objective was to screen five popular drinks for electrolytes by ion chromatography (IC). Ion chromatography is a technique that separates ions based on their interaction with the stationary phase of a specific column and the eluent, or mobile phase. IC can separate anions using an anion column, which attracts anions, and can also separate cations using a cation column, which attracts cations.