The Prevalence of Synthetic Color in Saffron and Sweet Products (Yellow Halvah, Candy and Crystallized Sugar) Supplied in Store of Hamadan City Using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)

In recent years, the use of synthetic color has considerably grown instead of saffron in food products. This problem can be a serious concern for consumer health. This study was conducted to determine the presence and type of synthetic color in saffron based or flavored products. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 96 samples including saffron, yellow halvah, candy, and crystallized sugar (each 24 samples) that were randomly sampled from stores in Hamadan city. The qualitative determination of the colors including quinoline, sunset yellow, tartarazine, azorubine, brilliant blue, ponceau 4R and allura red was done by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Out of 96 total samples, 64 (66.67%) samples had synthetic color and 32 (33.33%) samples had natural color. Nineteen (79.16%), 20 (83.33%), 19 (79.16%) and 6 (25%) of saffron, yellow halvah, candy, and crystallized sugar samples, respectively, contained artificial color. Among used synthetic colors, the quinoline was the most abundant used color. Based on the results of this study, 66.67% of the samples had synthetic color, which indicates the utilization of artificial color in the studied products is high. Therefore, it is recommended to control highly these products.