Development and validation of a multipurpose and multicomponent method for the simultaneous determination of six synthetic dyes in different foodstuffs by HPLC-UV-DAD.

• A multipurpose and multicomponent method for detecting food dyes was developed. • The sample preparation and the HPLC method were simple, fast and cheap. • The entire method was validated and allowed obtaining very good figures of merit. • The method proved to be versatile for analyzing a variety of solid and liquid samples. • The method showed potential to be applied for quality control and food inspection. A simple and low-cost multipurpose analytical method using HPLC-UV-DAD was developed and validated, following international guidelines, for the determination of six synthetic food dyes: Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow, Amaranth, Allura Red, Indigotine, and Brilliant Blue. The method required a simple sample preparation step that consisted of dissolution or dilution of the samples in water, followed by pH adjustment and filtering through PVDF filters. No significant matrix effect was verified. Linear working ranges varied from 0.25 to 6.0 mg L−1. Appropriate limits of quantification (0.10 to 0.15 mg L−1), mean recoveries (90.2 to 106.6%), and repeatability and intermediate precision (<4.5%) were obtained. Sixty-one samples of different types of foodstuffs were analyzed: jelly and juice powder, jelly candy, jujube candy, hard candy, ice cream syrup, sports drinks, soft drinks, energy drinks, artificially colored ready-to-drink fruit juices and flavored alcoholic beverages. All studied samples showed dye levels in conformity with Brazilian regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]