DETERMINATION OF ASPARTAME BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

A rapid method for the analysis of the artificial sweetener aspartame in food products using high-performance capillary electrophoresis with a bare capillary, a pH 2.14 buffer and detection at 211 nm has been d eveloped. The analysis time is faster than that reported for HPLC meth ods. A linear calibration curve between 25 and 150 mu g/ml for the ana lyte solution is established which can be used for quantitative determ inations of aspartame in typical food and beverage products. Six comme rcial samples are analyzed and one diet cola with a known aspartame co ncentration gives an R.S.D. of 2.6% from the manufacturer's value. No other sample constituents are detected in this high-performance capill ary electrophoresis (HPCE) method. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.