Recent developments in derivatization for the chromatographic determination of food additives.

Recent applications of chemical derivatization for the determination of a variety of food additives is presented. Several classes of additives such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, preservatives, sweeteners, colors, waxes, gums, and some indirect additives are included. Derivatization or modification reactions for both gas (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) are discussed. Postcolumn complexation or ion-pairing reactions for LC are also included. Derivatization reactions for GC mainly involve esterification, alkylation, or silylation for improving volatility of the analyte. The addition of chromophores (via coupling reactions) for improved detection is the main reason for forming derivatives for LC.