Adsorptive stripping voltammetry of Tartrazine at the hanging mercury drop electrode in soft drinks

Adsorptive stripping voltammetry was used for the determination of trace amounts of the dye Tartrazine (E-102) by square-wave (SWS) and differential pulse techniques (DPS). Its adsorptive voltammetric behaviour was investigated at different pH media. NH₄Cl/NH₃ buffer solution was chosen as the most suitable, taking into account the sensitivity and definition of the reduction peaks obtained. The effects of the experimental parameters on the determination are discussed. Standard deviations of 3.3% and 2.6% were obtained by SWS and DPS for 100 and 50 μg/L Tartrazine solutions, respectively (n = 10). Both methods were applied to determine the dye in several commercial soft drinks, containing very small amounts of it. Measurements were made directly in the commercial samples. A comparison of the results obtained by the proposed voltammetric methods with those of an HPLC method was also made. Good correlations between the voltammetric results and the values supplied by the manufacturer were found, whereas recoveries of the same order of magnitude were obtained by the HPLC method. Received: 23 May 1996 / Revised: 5 July 1996 / Accepted: 10 July 1996