Quantification of acesulfame potassium in processed foods by quantitative 1H NMR

Acesulfame potassium (AceK), a high-intensity and non-caloric artificial sweetener, is used in various processed foods as a food additive. In this study, we established and validated a method for determining the AceK content in various processed foods by solvent extraction and quantitative (1)H NMR, using a certified reference material as the internal standard. In the recovery test, the proposed method gave satisfactory recoveries (88.4-99.6%) and repeatabilities (0.6-5.6%) for various processed foods. The limit of quantification was confirmed as 0.13 g kg(-1), which was sufficiently low for the purposes of monitoring AceK levels. In the analysis of commercially processed foods containing AceK, all AceK contents determined by the proposed method were in good agreement with those obtained by a conventional method based on dialysis and HPLC. Moreover, this method can achieve rapid quantification and yields analytical data with traceability to the International System of Units (SI) without the need for an authentic analyte standard. Therefore, the proposed method is a useful and practical tool for the determination of AceK in processed foods.