Estimation of sucrose esters (E473) in foods using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method was developed for estimating the content in foods of the emulsifying additive E473, sucrose esters of fatty acids. The analytical approach taken to estimate the complex mixtures that comprise this additive involved, selective solvent extraction of the intact esters using a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and ethyl acetate, alkaline hydrolysis of the esters to liberate sucrose, and then GC-MS measurement of the liberated sucrose using GC-MS after acidic hydrolysis to glucose and fructose and then silylation. The method was developed to aid future estimates of intake of this food additive. The method determines the total sucrose esters content of a food sample and does not attempt to discrimination between individual sucrose esters when present as a mixture in a food sample. A single (average) factor is used to convert the liberated sucrose content into sucrose ester content. The method was applied to analysis of eight different food types (including bakery wares, sugar confectionery, dairy product, margarine, meat pies and a sauce) spiked with 0.5-1% of a mixture of three sucrose esters that spanned the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB) range 1-16. The limit of quantification was around 50 mg kg-1, which is more than adequate for these additives. The analytical recovery rate was 73-106% with an average of 91%. The precision of the method (RSD) was 6-18% (n = 3-20 for each food type) with an average RSD of 11%. The main analytical uncertainty is the conversion factor used to express sucrose ester content from the amount of sucrose liberated. The method is also applicable to sucroglycerides (E474).