CHROMATOGRAPHIC PROFILING OF CAFFEINE AND BENZOIC ACID IN CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS

A simple, sensitive, and precise high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of caffeine and benzoic acid in food products. Separation was achieved using an Agilent Eclipse XDB C18 column (4.6 cm × 100 mm, i.d., 3.5 µm) with a mobile phase of phosphate buffer and methanol (70:30, v/v, pH 3.0) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and detection at 220 nm. The retention times were 2.5 min for caffeine and 8.4 min for benzoic acid. The method was validated for linearity, achieving a correlation coefficient of 0.9998, and demonstrated specificity, accuracy, precision, and rapidity. These results indicate that the proposed HPLC method is reliable and efficient, making it suitable for the quantitative analysis of caffeine and benzoic acid in aerated drinks, chocolates, and other food products