Research of the assortment and determination of synthetic azo dyes in the composition of jelly concentrates of sweet dishes

The problem of using synthetic dyes (SD) in mass-market products, which include jelly, as well as methods of qualitative and quantitative control of their content is relevant for both producers and consumers. The work solved the following tasks: monitoring the kissel market from the point of view of the use of SD by manufacturers; analysis of modern trends in determining SD in soft drinks with the adaptation of the method of extraction-chromatographic determination of synthetic dyes in soft drinks to kissels – concentrates of sweet dishes. The product offerings of kissels were studied by observation methods with subsequent analysis and systematization, in the largest retail chains of Voronezh: in the following groups: dry concentrate of kissel requiring cooking; dry concentrate of instant kissel. The presence of SD based on the results of the information examination was established for five out of twelve brands of dry concentrate of kissel, of which two requiring cooking and three instant, i.e. 40 %, contain artificial colors, flavors, or the marking applied to the packaging does not allow their identification. The objects of the study by the method of chromatography in a thin layer with preliminary extraction concentration of SD were instant dry concentrates of kissel: fruit and berry kissel, TM "Kuban Matushka"; kissels with the aroma of strawberry, wild berry, cherry, TM "Radovo". It was established that the composition of the mobile phase from acetone, butyl alcohol and concentrated sodium hydroxide solution ensures good separation of azo dyes and the intensity of the color of chromatographic spots. In this system, the mobility coefficient Rf for the azo dyes tartrazine (E 102), ponceau 4R (E 124), carmoisine or azorubin (E 122) increases in the indicated sequence. Increasing the content of organic solvents in the mobile phase reduces the selectivity of separation, since it can lead to overlapping of chromatographic spots. For quantitative determination of azo dyes, a scanner and a personal computer with the appropriate software can be used.