CHM256 | Video Presentation | Chromatography: Separation of Food Colourant in Soft Drinks

[00:00:08]Hello everyone. Before we begin, I'd like to share [music] a quick fun fact.

[00:00:13]Did you know that the bright orange color in many soft [music] drinks is actually made from a combination of yellow and red food dyes?

[00:00:20]>> [music] >> And even though our eyes can only see one color, scientists can separate [music] these hidden food colorants using a technique called paper chromatography.

[00:00:30]>> [music] >> And in this presentation, we focuses on how paper chromatography can [music] be used to separate food colorants in soft drinks.

[00:00:38]And before we look at its application, let's first understand what chromatography [music] is and how it works.

[00:00:46]So, you might ask, what exactly [music] is chromatography?

[00:00:50]Chromatography is an analytical technique used to separate the different components [music] of a mixture.

[00:00:56]The separation occurs because each substance interacts differently with two phases, known as the stationary phase [music] and mobile phase.

[00:01:05]As shown on the slide, different substances travel at different rate during the separation process. Some substances [music] move faster, while other move more slowly. This difference allow the components in the mixture to separate, making them easier to be identified [music] and analyzed.

[00:01:24]Now that we know the basic principle of chromatography, let's take a closer look at paper chromatography.

[00:01:30]Paper chromatography is a simple chromatography technique [music] that uses chromatography paper as the stationary phase and a solvent as the mobile phase.

[00:01:40]So, in the process, [music] the paper holds the sample, while the solvent move upward by capillary action, which also carry the sample along the paper.

[00:01:48]But, why does the separation happen?

[00:01:50][music] This is because each food dye has different attraction to the paper and a different solubility to the solvent.

[00:01:58]So, they travel [music] at different speed and become separated.

[00:02:02]Paper chromatography is also widely used because it is simple, inexpensive, >> [music] >> and effective for separating colored compounds.

[00:02:10]That is why it is commonly used to analyze food colorants in soft drinks.

[00:02:15]>> Hello everyone. For my part, [music] I'll discuss the application of chromatography in soft drinks.

[00:02:20]First, why [music] are artificial colors added to soft drinks? There are four main reasons. First, to enhance appearance. Bright colors make drinks look more appealing.

[00:02:29]>> [music] >> Second, for flavor association. We expect orange colored drinks to taste like [music] orange. Third, to ensure batch consistency. Your favorite drinks looks the same every time you buy it.

[00:02:40]And fourth, consumer expectation. People have been [music] conditioned to expect brightly colored beverages.

[00:02:46]However, these practices present several challenges for manufacturers.

[00:02:50]>> [music] >> How do they identify which dyes are present in the drink? How do they separate a mixture of multiple dyes?

[00:02:56]How do they ensure [music] dyes are within legal limits? How do they detect contamination or receipt errors? And most importantly, how do they ensure [music] consumer safety?

[00:03:06]The answer to all of these challenges is chromatography.

[00:03:09]By comparing chromatogram >> [music] >> spots with known standards, each dyes can be identified through its Rf value.

[00:03:15][music] Chromatography separates mixtures based on differences in solubility and attraction to the stationary and mobile phases.

[00:03:24]Spot intensity [music] and size can be compared with standards for quantitative control. Unexpected spots on a chromatogram immediately signal contamination or formulation error.

[00:03:33][music] And by identifying harmful or unauthorized dyes, chromatography ensures products [music] are safe before they reach the market.

[00:03:41]Let's look at some common beverages.

[00:03:43]Cola contains caramel color. Orange soda contains sunset yellow and tartrazine.

[00:03:48]Sports drinks [music] use brilliant blue and allura red.

[00:03:51]Quality control is crucial for three reasons. [music] First, consumer safety. Some dyes can cause allergic reactions or hyperactivity in children. Second, legal compliance. Regulatory [music] bodies like the FDA, FFSA, and Malaysian Ministry of Health strictly monitor dye usage. Third, >> [music] >> brand reputation. Consistent quality builds consumer trust.

[00:04:12]Why is paper chromatography [music] suitable for this application? First, it differs visual detection. [music] Food dyes are naturally colored, so spots are visible to the naked eye. Second, it separates mixtures into individual components. Third, it's [music] fast and low cost. Results are contained in less than 30 minutes. Finally, each dye produces a unique RF value, allowing accurate identification by comparison with new [music] standards.

[00:04:37]In real-world application, cola shows a single brown spot, confirming no undeclared dyes are present. [music] Orange soda shows two distinct spots, sunset yellow and tartrazine, proving its dye mixture. [music] If the spot sheet shows unexpected spots, it signals contamination or receipt error, allowing manufacturers [music] to take corrective action.

[00:04:57]In summary, chromatography provides the answer for all the challenges [music] in soft drinks quality control, ensuring the colored drinks we enjoy are safe, >> [music] >> authentic, and consistently high quality.

[00:05:08]>> Now, we are diving into a colorful world of paper chromatography to separate and identify the food dyes hidden inside some of our favorite [music] beverage.

[00:05:17]Let's start by looking at our setup. For our material, we will be using a chromatographic paper, which acts [music] as our stationary phase, capillary tubes to help us apply our sample with precision, >> [music] >> a water ethanol mixture to serve as our mobile phase, and three soft drink samples to test is soda, orange, cola, and sport drinks. Now, for the procedure. First, we use a capillary tube to dab a tiny spot of each soft [music] drink sample onto the baseline of our chromatographic paper. Next, we carefully place the paper into the solvent. It is incredibly [music] important here that the liquid level stays below our sample spots. Otherwise, the drinks will just dissolve [music] right into the basin. As the solvent rise up the paper through capillary action, [music] it carries the pigment along with it.

[00:06:03]Because different dyes have different attraction to the paper [music] and the liquid, they travel at different speeds, separating into uh distinct color spots.

[00:06:12]Once it's near the top, we pull it out past the solvent line and [music] move on to our observation.

[00:06:20]Now, let's take a look at what happened on our color separation table. Once the separation was complete, we use [music] we could clearly see the individual dyes that make up each beverage. For the orange [music] soda, uh the original color split into two distinct spots, which is yellow and red.

[00:06:42]Uh the color sample didn't split into bright primary colors. Instead, it showed a single dark spot.

[00:06:50]Dark brown spot.

[00:06:52]Lastly, our [music] sport drink separated into a vibrant combination of blue and yellow.

[00:06:57]Now, we must know how do we turn this visual observation >> [music] >> into scientific data?

[00:07:04]How do we do that? We do that by calculating the retention factor, RF value. [music] The formula for RF value is distance traveled of the >> [music] >> substance divided by distance traveled of the solvent front. Because a dye can never travel further than the solvent [music] itself.

[00:07:24]Your RF value will always be a decimal between zero and one. It's a ratio, [music] meaning the units cancel out, leaving us with a pure, dimensionless number.

[00:07:36]Let's look at the example on the slide to see [music] how this works.

[00:07:39]Imagine one of our dye spots travel a distance of 5 cm from the base line while the solvent run climb a total of 12 cm. [music] To find the RF value, we divided 5 cm by 12 [music] cm and we can get the answer.

[00:07:59]By calculating this exact ratio for our yellow, red, blue, and brown spot, we can compare them to known chemical standards and confidently identify the exact dyes >> [music] >> used in our drinks.

[00:08:13]>> Now, let's look at the advantages of paper chromatography.

[00:08:17]Paper chromatography is fast and easy to perform, >> [music] >> making it suitable for routine laboratory work.

[00:08:23]It is also inexpensive because it requires only simple equipment and a small amount of sample.

[00:08:28]>> [music] >> In addition, it is effective in separating and identifying different food colorings [music] in beverages.

[00:08:35]These advantages make it use a useful method for routine quality control in the food industry.

[00:08:42]However, paper chromatography also has some limitations. [music] Compared to high-performance liquid chromatography or HPLC, [music] it is less accurate and less sensitive.

[00:08:53]Some food dyes may have similar RF [music] values, causing the spots to overlap and making identification more difficult.

[00:09:00]It is also not suitable for analyzing very complex mixtures.

[00:09:04]Furthermore, the results can [music] be influenced by factors such as the type of solvent used and experimental conditions.

[00:09:13]So, careful control of the procedure is important.

[00:09:18]In conclusion, paper chromatography is a simple, rapid, and cost-effective technique for separating food colorings based on their different interactions with the stationary and mobile phases.

[00:09:28][music] It helps manufacturers ensure the product quality, safety, and consistency in beverages.

[00:09:35]Beyond the food industry, chromatography is also widely used in pharmaceuticals, forensic science, [music] and environmental analysis, and medical research.

[00:09:45]That's all. Thank you.