Food safety is a paramount concern, with contaminants defined as substances unintentionally added to food during various stages of production or due to environmental factors. HPTLC’s robust and cost-effective methodology is ideal for analyzing a wide range of contaminants and impurities in different food matrices, such as mycotoxins, antibiotics, and illegal dyes. This same level of precision and efficiency extends to feed sample analysis.

Monitoring the quality of raw ingredients is essential to ensure that the final product meets regulatory and consumer standards. HPTLC can be used to assess the purity and composition of ingredients such as herbs, spices, flavorings, and essential oils. This allows manufacturers to maintain consistency and quality throughout the production process.

Natural food products such as plant extracts, essential oils, and organic ingredients are becoming increasingly popular. HPTLC allows for the precise analysis of these natural compounds, ensuring they are of the highest quality and free from contaminants.

HPTLC can be employed in the analysis of nutrients like vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids in food products. This ensures that the nutritional content matches the product labeling and meets the health standards required by regulatory agencies.

HPTLC is highly effective in identifying and quantifying preservatives, colorants, and other additives in food products. This ensures compliance with regulatory limits and helps manufacturers avoid potential health risks associated with excessive additive use.

CAMAG has developed HPTLC methods for identifying vegetable oils in compliance with Ph. Eur. and USP standards. These methods differentiate fixed oils from volatile and essential oils, ensuring authenticity, quality, and detecting adulteration in food products. A recent example includes detecting paraffin oil in milk using the HPTLC PRO system.

With the increasing popularity of low-calorie sweeteners like Stevia rebaudiana, CAMAG’s HPTLC systems offer precise tools for analyzing these sweeteners in various food matrices, as demonstrated in our case study on the quantitative determination of steviol glycosides.

Another innovative application of HPTLC is in the detection of endocrine active compounds (EACs) in food and water, as shown in our study using HPTLC direct bioautography. This method is sensitive enough to detect EACs in the very low µg/kg range, crucial for assessing their impact on the human endocrine system.