Abstract

BENITEZ-VILLALBA, Julio César et al. Quantification of preservative additives in commercial guava jams by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Rep. cient. FACEN [online]. 2026, vol.17, e202602.  Epub Feb 28, 2026. ISSN 2222-145X.  https://doi.org/10.18004/rcfacen.2026.17.e202602.

Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are widely used food additives employed as preservatives in processed foods due to their effectiveness in preventing microbiological alterations such as fermentation, mold growth, and spoilage. According to the Codex Alimentarius, the maximum permitted level for each of these additives in products such as jams is 1000 mg/kg, equivalent to 100 mg/100 g. In the present study, a High- Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was developed, validated, and applied for the simultaneous quantification of both preservatives in five commercial guava jam samples acquired in Paraguay. Intr alaboratory validation, performed in accordance with the ICH Q2(R1) guideline, demonstrated excellent linearity within the working range (R² = 0.999 for both analytes), as well as high sensitivity, with limits of detection (LOD) of 0.15 mg/L for sodium benzoate and 0.18 mg/L for potassium sorbate, and limits of quantification (LOQ) of 0.45 mg/L and 0.54 mg/L, respectively. The methodology showed adequate precision, reproducibility, and selectivity for application in complex food matrices. Its application to commercial samples enabled the quantification of both preservatives within a range of 19.05 to 153.59 mg/100 g for sodium benzoate and from below the detection limit to 95.13 mg/100 g for potassium sorbate, with two samples presenting sodium benzoate concentrations exceeding the established regulatory limit. These results confirm the usefulness of the validated chromatographic method as a reliable analytical tool for the compositional evaluation of processed food products and as technical support for quality control activities and analytical assurance in the food industry.

Keywords : Food additives; Preservatives; Commercial jams; High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

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