EXTRACTION OF FD-AND-C DYES FROM COMMON FOOD SOURCES - THEIR SEPARATION UTILIZING COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY

Ondrus (1) and McKone (2) used SEP-PAK cartridges to separate and concentrate the FD&C food dyes. McKone used liquid chromatography and an ultraviolet detector to identify the dyes. Ondrus used water/methanol solutions to separate a mixture of two dyes. The objective of this study was the development of a simple procedure for the extraction and separation of five FD &C food dyes, [Yellow 5 (Y-5), Yellow 6 (Y-6), Blue 1 (B-1), Red 3 (R-3), and Red 40 (R-40)], using a low pressure column chromatography apparatus. This requires a minimum of equipment and will be useful in high school chemistry classes. This study utilized a modified 6 mL J. T. Baker 10 SPE column (cartridge), a variable low pressure (2-10 lb) source, and variable concentrations of methanol to extract and separate food dyes from mixtures of pure dyes and from foods.