Abstract: [Objective] Compare and evaluate the application of ion chromatography and enzymatic colorimetry in the determination of choline in infant formula milk powder,and select a more suitable detection method for enterprise quality control.[Method] A comparative analysis between ion chromatography and enzymatic colorimetry was conducted by using indicators such as standard curves,detection limits,precision,accuracy,uncertainty assessment and determination costs.[Result] Both ion chromatography and enzymatic colorimetry demonstrated good linear relationships within their respective concentration ranges,with correlation coefficients（R²）of 0.999 7 and 0.999 1,respectively. The detection limits and quantification limits of ion chromatography were 0.7 mg/100 g and 2.1 mg/100 g,while those of enzymatic colorimetry were 0.9 mg/100 g and 2.7 mg/100 g. The recovery rates of ion chromatography and enzymatic colorimetry ranged were 90.7%~102.7% and 86.0%~100.6%（with the spiked amount ranging from 3 mg/100 g to 150 mg/100 g）,respectively. The precision of ion chromatography （0.61%~3.83%） was superior to that of enzymatic colorimetry（1.30%~5.85%）. The expanded uncertainties for ion chromatography and enzymatic colorimetry were 4.02% and 4.04%,respectively.[Conclusion] Ion chromatography demonstrated comparable advantages over enzymatic colorimetry in terms of sensitivity,precision and cost. It is more suitable for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of choline in infant formula and is recommended as the primary method for enterprises determination.

Key words: food testing, choline, ion chromatography, enzymatic colorimetry, infant formula