Analysis of Color Additives in Beverages with the Flexar FX-15 System Equipped with a PDA Detector

Food colors have a great impact on consumers’ perception of food quality, but have practically no nutritional value. Some color additives are of natural origin and are generally safe but most are synthesized from petroleum and have the potential of tainting food supplies. All around the world, toxicological considerations are prompting regulatory agencies to lower the acceptable level of dyes in comestible products. In this application note from PerkinElmer a fast and robust HPLC technique for the determination of dyes in beverages is presented. Method conditions and performance data including precision and linearity are presented. A popular orange soda is analyzed and the type and amount of dyes used are confirmed.