Evaluation of natural and synthetic dyes in saffron barbecued chicken collected from  meat shops and restaurants in Babol using thin-layer chromatography

Atiyeh   Bolbol Amir; Razieh  Partovi; Ebrahim   Javan Amoli; Fahimeh  Tooryan

doi:10.18502/jfsh.v6i2.6522

Atiyeh Bolbol Amir Food Hygiene Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
Razieh Partovi Food Hygiene Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
Ebrahim Javan Amoli Food Hygiene Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Fahimeh Tooryan Food Hygiene Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jfsh.v6i2.6522

Keywords: Synthetic dye; Tartrazine; Quinoline yellow; Saffron barbecued chicken; Thin Layer Chromatography

Abstract

Synthetic colors have advantages in comparison to natural colors, but they cause cancer, attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder, immune system suppression and vitamin deficiency. In the present study, authorized and unauthorized synthetic colors in saffron barbecued chicken from meat shops and restaurants in Babol city have been identified by thin-layer chromatography. Fifty samples of saffron barbecued chicken from meat shops and restaurants in Babol city have been collected from July to September 2019. Out of 50 samples, 20 had natural color, while 27 and 3 samples contained authorized and unauthorized synthetic colors respectively. According to the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran, the application of synthetic colors is banned in saffron barbecued chicken. Therefore, 40% were consumable and 60% were inconsumable, out of which 54% contained quinoline yellow and 6% had tartrazine. About 58.06% and 63.15% of samples from meat shops and restaurants were inconsumable, respectively. There were no significant differences regarding the frequency of the evaluated colors between samples from meat shops and restaurants (p>0.05). Based on the results, it is essential that the presence of synthetic colors is traced constantly and more strictly in food products and that the perpetrators receive more serious punishment.