Absolute quantification of dehydroacetic acid in processed foods using quantitative 1H NMR

An absolute quantification method for the determination of dehydroacetic acid in processed foods using quantitative 1H NMR was developed and validated. The level of dehydroacetic acid was determined using the proton signals of dehydroacetic acid referenced to 1,4-bis (trimethylsilyl) benzene-d4 after simple solvent extraction from processed foods. All the recoveries from three processed foods spiked at two different concentrations were larger than 85%. The proposed method also proved to be precise, with inter-day precision and excellent linearity. The limit of quantification was confirmed as 0.13 g/kg in processed foods, which is sufficiently low for the purposes of monitoring dehydroacetic acid. Furthermore, the method is rapid and easy to apply, and provides International System of Units traceability without the need for authentic analyte reference materials. Therefore, the proposed method is a useful and practical tool for determining the level of dehydroacetic acid in processed foods.