title: Rapid detection of TiO2(E171) in table sugar using Raman spectroscopy.
abstract: The potential toxic effects of titanium dioxide (TiO2) to humans remain debatable despite its broad application as a food additive. Thus, confirmation of the existence of TiO2particles in food matrices and subsequently quantifying them are becoming increasingly critical. This study developed a facile, rapid (< 30 min) and highly reliable method to detect and quantify TiO2particles (E171) from food products (e.g., table sugar) by Raman spectroscopy. To detect TiO2particles from sugar solution, sequential centrifugation and washing procedures were effectively applied to separate and recover 97% of TiO2particles from the sugar solution. The peak intensity of TiO2sensitively responded to the concentration of TiO2with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.073 mg kg-1. In the case of sugar granules, a mapping technique was applied to directly estimate the level of TiO2, which can be potentially used for rapid online monitoring. The plot of averaged intensity to TiO2concentration in the sugar granules exhibited a good linear relationship in the wide range of 5-2000 mg kg-1, with an LOD of 8.46 mg kg-1. Additionally, we applied Raman spectroscopy to prove the presence of TiO2in sugar-coated doughnuts. This study begins to fill in the analytical gaps that exist regarding the rapid detection and quantification of TiO2in food, which facilitate the risk assessment of TiO2through food exposure.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Massachusetts , Amherst , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Massachusetts , Amherst , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Massachusetts , Amherst , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Zhiyun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Massachusetts , Amherst , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000737:chemistry*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014025:Titanium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium
keywords: Titanium dioxide; detection; foodRaman spectroscopy; quantification