Determination of synthetic food dyes in commercial soft drinks by TLC and ion-pair HPLC

• Synthetic food colourings were analyzed in soft drinks.
• The colourings food were extracted from soft drinks using C18 SPE.
• The colourings food were identified by thin layer chromatography.
• The concentration of food colouring in soft drink was determined by HPLC.

Synthetic food colourings were analyzed on commercial carbonated orange and grape soft drinks produced in Ceará State, Brazil. Tartrazine (E102), Amaranth (E123), Sunset Yellow (E110) and Brilliant Blue (E133) were extracted from soft drinks using C18 SPE and identified by thin layer chromatography (TLC), this method was used to confirm the composition of food colouring in soft drinks stated on label. The concentration of food colouring in soft drink was determined by ion-pair high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. The results obtained with the samples confirm that the identification and quantification methods are recommended for quality control of the synthetic colours in soft drinks, as well as to determine whether the levels and lables complies with the recommendations of food dyes legislation.