Separation and identification of artificial colors in foodstuffs at Torbat-e-Heydarieh city using thin layer chromatography during 2019-2010

According to the growing trend of consumption of artificial colors in the food industry as well as their destructive effects on public health, information on the type and consumption of artificial colors which are allowed, as well as increasing the health and safety knowledge of producers and sellers of food. And frequent monitoring by health officials is essential. Therefore, in this study, the status and frequency of synthetic dyes (Sunset Yellow, Tartrazine, Quinoline Yellow and Carmoisine, etc.) in food supplied in Torbat-e-Heydarieh city was investigated using thin layer chromatography method. In current study, 251 samples including processed chicken, Zoolbia and okra, various types of sweets and traditional ice cream were analyzed. Among 66 processed chicken samples, 11 samples had no color, 6 samples had natural color and 50 samples had artificial color which among those that found synthetic dyes, the prevalence of tartrazine and sunset yellow were higher. Among 70 samples of zoolbia and okra, 32 were colorless, 4 and 34 samples had natural and synthetic dyes, respectively, that using of tartrazine, sunset yellow and quinoline yellow was higher than the others. Among 90 samples of sweets which were investigated, 6 samples were colorless, 2 and 82 samples had natural and artificial colors, respectively, which sunset yellow, tartrazine and carmoisine were more common. Finally, among 25 ice cream samples, 15 samples had natural dyes and 10 samples had artificial dyes, that sunset yellow, tartrazine and carmoisine were common than the others.