Progress of Cryogenics and Isotopes Separation , ISSN: 1582-2575
2014, Volume 17, Issue 2

Spectrophotometric Techniques Used for Monitoring Food Additives – An Overview

Abstract

Development in food science and technology from the last five decades led to the discovery of new compounds with various features. Among them are the additives, substances intentionally added in foodstuffs to perform certain technological functions (i.e. to colour, to sweeten or to preserve). EU legislation stipulates that food containing a level of additive hat is unacceptable from a public health viewpoint cannot be put on the market.

There is a need for analytical techniques to identify and quantify additives, because the food industry is required to list the type and amount of each ingredient on product labels to help consumers make dietary choices and manage allergies. The analytical tools include UV-VIS spectroscopy method to simultaneously test widely used additives. This study offers some conclusions about the feasibility of the analytical tools, based on their performance characteristics and potential gaps.