Determination of colorants in candy with HPLC-UV 

Halloween, a time for costumes, trick or treating, but most importantly colorful candy. Whether orange and yellow candy corn or rainbow skittles, color intensifies the eating experience.

Color additives like those used in our favorite sweets, include dyes and pigments with the chemical capability to impart color. Dyes are aromatic carbon compounds containing chromophores which alter the absorption of light. Our eyes detect that specific absorption, seeing color⁽¹⁾. These special compounds are naturally or synthetically derived. Being able to identify and quantify color additives in food products is essential from production to consumption.

Example of food colorant E132 - Indigo carmine⁽²⁾:

The following HPLC-UV analysis shows the separation of various food colorants in food performed on a NUCLEODUR π² HPLC column.

Access to application: Determination of food colorants

The stationary phase of MACHEREY-NAGEL’s NUCLEODUR π² HPLC column is a high purity, fully porous, spherical silica with biphenylpropyl modification and features two retention mechanisms: π-π interactions and hydrophobic interactions. This results in better retention of aromatic, or polar compounds such as food colorants.

Happy Halloween!

References:
(1) Shapley, Patricia (2012). University of Illinois, "Absorbing light with organic molecules"
(2) Indigo carmine by Yikrazuul, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons