Analysis of food additives by ion-pairing electrokinetic chromatography

A mixture of food additives is separated using ion-pairing electrokinetic chromatography with on-column ultraviolet detection at 190 nm. Tetrabutyl ammonium hydrogen sulfate (TBA) is used as modifier. The effect of the concentration of TBA on the migration behavior of the solutes is investigated. This method is used for the determination of the amount of additives in food samples. The percent relative standard deviation (%RSD) for the migration time is found to be less than 0.9% and that of the peak area is less than 2.5%.