Flame photometric detector response characteristics

Sulfur compounds play a major role in determining the flavor and odor characteristics of many food substances. Often sulfur compounds are present in trace levels in foods making their isolation and quantification very difficult for chromatographers. This study compares three gas chromatographic detectors the flame photometric detector, sulfur chemiluminescence detector and the atomic emission detector, for the analysis of volatile sulfur compounds in foods. The atomic emission detector showed the most linearity in its response to sulfur the upper limit of the linear dynamic range for the atomic emission detector was 6 to 8 times greater than the other two detectors. The atomic emission detector had the greatest sensitivity to the sulfur compounds with minimum detectable levels as low as 1 pg. 

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