Analyzing Residual Solvents in Sucrose Fatty Acid Esters by HS-GC-FID Analysis (FCC11)

User Benefits

- Four impurity types of sucrose fatty acid ester can be analyzed by HS-GC-FID analysis based on FCC 11 requirements. - Target substances can be quantitated easily using the standard addition method. - Using a headspace sampler (HS) eliminates the need for tedious pretreatment processes.

Introduction

Sucrose, the main compound in table sugar, consists of a glucose molecule with fructose attached. A sucrose fatty acid ester is formed by attaching a plant-based fatty acid to one of the 8 locations on sucrose that have an affinity to water. Since sucrose loses its sweetness when bonded to a fatty acid, sucrose fatty acid esters are tasteless and odorless molecules. That gives them a hydrophilic sucrose end and a lipophilic fatty acid end, which makes sucrose fatty acid esters an excellent non-ionic surfactant. Therefore, they are widely used in foods, samples, and pharmaceuticals as emulsifiers, dispersants, additives for adjusting viscosity, foaming agents, and antioxidants. Test methods for analyzing residual solvents in sucrose fatty acid esters are specified in Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives and the U.S. Food Chemicals Codex (FCC 11). (For more information about Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives, refer to Shimadzu Application News 01-00486.) This article describes an example of separating, analyzing, and quantitating residual solvents in a commercial sucrose fatty acid ester product based on analysis conditions specified in FCC 11.

June 29, 2023 GMT