Abstract
Colour is a key component to enhance the ultimate appetizing value and consumer acceptance towards foods and beverages. Synthetic food colours have been increasingly used than natural food colours by food manufacturers to attain certain properties such as low cost, improved appearance, high colour intensity, more colour stability, and uniformity. Varied foods and beverages available in the market may contain some nonpermitted synthetic colours and overuse of permitted synthetic colours. This may lead to severe health problems such as mutations, cancers, reduced haemoglobin concentrations, and allergic reactions. According to the Food Act, 2011 (No. 26 of 1980), Sri Lanka, only nine synthetic food colours are permitted and the colour concentration cannot exceed 100 ppm as a single component or in combination. This study aims to identify the synthetic food colours in confectioneries and beverages available in Jaffna district, Sri Lanka. Randomly collected 110 samples from eleven Medical Officers Of Health areas in Jaffna district were analyzed by using thin layer chromatography and UV-visible spectrophotometry. According to the results, 100% beverages and 85% confectioneries contained permitted synthetic food colours. Out of all, 7% of the confectioneries did not contain any synthetic food colour and 8% of the confectioneries contained nonpermitted colours which do not comply with any of the permitted synthetic food colours. Tartrazine (E102) (41%) was the most used synthetic food colour in both confectioneries and beverages. Moreover, 60% of the beverages violated the label requirement without including proper colour ingredients. The study concluded that there is a high tendency to use synthetic food colours in confectioneries and beverages and some confectioneries contain unidentified colours including a textile dye. Therefore, the implementation of regulations and awareness programs of food colours for consumers and food manufacturers are highly recommended.
Highlights
Food manufacturers commonly use food additives in different foods and beverages to increase taste, appearance, and avour [1,2,3,4]
Many synthetic food colours have been increasingly used as additives to substitute natural colours, to achieve certain properties such as improved appearance, high colour intensity, more colour stability, and colour uniformity [7,8,9,10]
Food additives should be prescribed by its name or INS number [31]. e present study involves the identification of synthetic food colours in randomly collected confectioneries and beverages from Jaffna district, Sri Lanka, by using thin layer chromatographic (TLC) method and UV-visible spectrophotometric methods
Summary
Food manufacturers commonly use food additives in different foods and beverages to increase taste, appearance, and avour [1,2,3,4]. Synthetic food colours have several economically important traits such as low cost, resistance to light, oxygen, and pH changes, and high colour stability [1]. It can be used without further processing and does not degrade during food processing [11]. E Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, made regulations to restrict adulteration of food with nonpermitted synthetic colours under Extraordinary Gazette 2011, Food Act No 26 of 1980 It permits only nine synthetic food colours [29], and colour concentration cannot exceed 100 ppm as a single component or in combination [30]. Food additives should be prescribed by its name or INS number [31]. e present study involves the identification of synthetic food colours in randomly collected confectioneries and beverages from Jaffna district, Sri Lanka, by using thin layer chromatographic (TLC) method and UV-visible spectrophotometric methods
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
