First-derivative spectrophotometric determination of ponceau 4R, sunset yellow and tartrazine in confectionery products

A first-derivative spectrophotometric method was developed for quantitative determination of synthetic organic dyes, Ponceau 4R (E124), Sunset Yellow (E110) Tartrazine (E102), which are used in food products under governmental regulations all over the world because of their toxicity and carcinogenity. In this study, Ponceau 4R with Sunset Yellow, and Tartrazine with Sunset Yellow, were simultaneously determined in their binary mixtures by first-derivative spectrophotometry. The method was applied to different sugar confectionery products. Recoveries were 93.8–101.2%, 92.1–107.9% and 94.9–99.2% for Ponceau 4R, Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine, respectively. The results were also compared by an independent method, thin layer chromatography (TLC). A t-test indicates that the differences obtained via the present methods and TLC were insignificant at the 95% confidence level. In addition, the present method is very rapid, economical and accurate.