title: Determination of methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose food gums in food and food products: collaborative study.
abstract: A collaborative study was performed to determine the reproducibility of a method for the determination of methylcellulose (MC) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in food. These widely used food gums possess unusual solubility characteristics and cannot accurately be determined by existing dietary fiber methods. The new method uses the enzyme-digestion procedure of AOAC Official Method 991.43. Digestate solutions must be refrigerated to fully hydrate MC or HPMC. The chilled solutions are filtered and analyzed by size-exclusion liquid chromatography. Collaborating laboratories received 28 samples containing MC or HPMC in the range of 0-100%. The sample set included blind duplicates of 5 food matrixes (bread, milk, fish, potato, and powdered juice drink). Cochran and Grubbs tests were used to eliminate outliers. For food samples containing MC, values for within-laboratory precision, repeatability relative standard deviation (RSDr), ranged from 4.2 to 16%, and values for among-laboratories precision, reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR), ranged from 11 to 20%. For HPMC samples, RSDr values ranged from 6.4 to 27%, and RSDR values ranged from 17 to 39%. Recoveries of MC and HPMC from the food matrixes ranged from 78 to 101%. These results show acceptable precision and reproducibility for the determination of MC and HPMC, for which no Official AOAC Methods exist. It is recommended that this method be adopted as AOAC Official First Action.
authors.affiliation: The Dow Chemical Co., Analytical Sciences, Building 1897, Midland, MI 48667, USA. rgharfmann@dow.com
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Harfmann
authors.forename: Balasaheb K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Deshmukh
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Conklin
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turowski
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lynch
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages; D002138:Calibration; D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000379:methods*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005502:Food; D005504:Food Analysis; D005506:Food Contamination; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D065347:Hypromellose Derivatives; D008747:Methylcellulose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D065347:Hypromellose Derivatives; D008747:Methylcellulose