Application of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in food adulteration determination: the example of Sudan dye I in paprika powder

Carcinogenic Sudan I has been added illegally into spices for an apparent freshness. (1)H solution and solid-state (SS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies were applied and compared for determination of Sudan I in paprika powders (PPs). For solution NMR, PPs spiked with Sudan I were extracted with acetonitrile, centrifuged, rotor-evaporated, and re-dissolved in DMSO-d6 for spectral collection. For SSNMR, Sudan I contaminated PPs were mixed with DMSO-d6 solution and used for spectral collection. Linear regression models constructed for quantitative analyses resulted in the average accuracies for unknown samples as 98% and 105%, respectively. Limits of detection for the solution NMR and SSNMR spectrometers were 6.7 and 128.6 mg kg(−1), while the limits of quantification were 22.5 and 313.7 mg kg(−1). The overall analysis time required by both methods was similar (35 and 32 min). Both NMR techniques are feasible for rapid and accurate determination of Sudan I adulteration in PPs.