Validation of a high performance chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of sweeteners, preservatives and alkaloids in foodstuffs

Introduction: Artificial sweeteners are substances of low caloric value, used as food additives to give a sweet taste to foodstuffs, reducing the energy supplied by them. The increase of sugar consumption is related with two severe health problems: diabetes and obesity. Artificial sweeteners are present in soft drinks, special nutritional products and tabletop intense sweeteners, among others. Food preservatives such as benzoic and sorbic acids are commonly used in food industry and are present in a wide variety of foodstuff. Caffeine and theobromine are natural alkaloids found in tea leaves, coffee and cacao seeds and, therefore, in the food and beverages made from them, where sometimes food additives are used too. These alkaloids possess properties such as stimulate the central nervous system, induce gastric secretions and act as a diuretic.The growing consumption of processed foods leads to an increase in the intake of these substances therefore, the assessment of their occurrence is essential to ensure the consumers safety. In order to obtain consistent, reliable and accurate data it is important to use validated methods. Only in this way, obtained occurrence results could be used in exposure studies to evaluate the intake of these substances by Portuguese population. Aim: This study aimed to perform the validation of an HPLC method with UV detection based on EN12856 for simultaneous determination of acesulfame K, saccharin, aspartame, sorbic and benzoic acid, caffeine and theobromine in different food matrices.Study supported by Project MONITADITIVOS (INSA), Portugal.