Determination of E 472b emulsifiers in foamed food formulations by high-performance thin-layer chromatography-fluorescence detection

E 472b emulsifiers, defined as lactic acid esters of mono- and diacylglycerides, are food emulsifiers widely used in foamed food formulations. So far, only qualitative methods for analyzing E 472b emulsifiers have been published. Thus, a new method was developed for determining E 472b in different foamed food formulations by high-performance thin-layer chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPTLC-FLD). The proposed method allows simple and fast E 472b emulsifier extraction from the food matrix and points out an analytical approach for quantifying these emulsifiers using a commercial E 472b emulsifier as the reference standard. Limits of decision with 56-59 ng of E 472b emulsifier/zone and limits of quantification with 172-179 ng of E 472b emulsifier/zone in three foamed model food formulations, respectively, as well as satisfactory repeatability (n = 6) and reproducibility (n = 6) exposed by low relative standard deviation < 8% proved the method suitable for the sensitive and reliable determination of E 472b emulsifiers. Recoveries between 96 and 109.3% were obtained for all investigated model systems. In commercial foamed food formulations from the German market, the E 472b emulsifier content ranged between 0.1 and 0.6 g/100 g.