A rapid shaking-based ionic liquid dispersive liquid phase microextraction for the simultaneous determination of six synthetic food colourants in soft drinks, sugar- and gelatin-based confectionery by high-performance liquid chromatography

A novel and simple rapid shaking-based method of ionic liquid dispersive liquid phase microextraction for the determination of six synthetic food colourants (Tartrazine, Amaranth, Sunset Yellow, Allura Red, Ponceau 4R, and Erythrosine) in soft drinks, sugar- and gelatin-based confectionery was established. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an ultraviolet detector was used for the determinations. The extraction procedure did not require a dispersive solvent, heat, ultrasonication, or additional chemical reagents. 1-Octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([C8MIM][BF4]) was dispersed in an aqueous sample solution as fine droplets by manual shaking, enabling the easier migration of analytes into the ionic liquid phase. Factors such as the [C8MIM][BF4] volume, sample pH, extraction time, and centrifugation time were investigated. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the proposed method showed excellent detection sensitivity with limits of detection (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) within 0.015–0.32 ng/mL. The method was also successfully used in analysing real food samples. Good spiked recoveries from 95.8%–104.5% were obtained.