Liquid chromatographic determination of methyl anthranilate in artificially flavored nonalcoholic beverages

A liquid chromatographic method was developed that provides a simple and rapid means of determining methyl anthranilate (MA) in carbonated and noncarbonated, artificial grape-flavored, nonalcoholic beverages. The proposed procedure, which was applied to 12 different products, uses a Nova-Pak C18 column, a mobile phase containing acetonitrile-0.025M KH2PO4 (40 + 60), pH 3.00, and UV detection at 220 nm. Assay values ranged from 0.35 to 16.6 microg MA/mL. The intralaboratory precision (relative standard deviation) for the products ranged from 0.51 to 2.23% (n = 5), and recoveries via fortification ranged from 83.6 to 102.4%. The limits of quantitation and detection were 0.00417 and 0.00125 microg/mL, respectively, and the analyte response was linear over a 100-fold concentration range (0.0001-0.01 mg/mL).