Ad hoc: Programme A01 – food additives – research

The Agency’s research programme (A01) on food additives aims to support consumer protection by carrying out work which ensures that the use of food additives does not compromise food safety.

Development of validated analytical methodology for food additives is required for identification and quantification of additives in food. Such activities are key to enable enforcement of legislation and to protect the consumer from misuse of food additives. Food surveillance is integral to improving understanding of additive exposure through collation of information on additive levels and usage. This information is needed to monitor additive levels in foods, changes in dietary behaviour and patterns of additive use, and to fulfil European Community legislation requirements for Member States to monitor food intakes to ensure additive use is safe, i.e. intakes are below acceptable daily intakes (ADIs).

Development of a robust and fully validated method for the simultaneous determination of sweeteners (including neotame and steviol glycosides) in food

Intense sweeteners are often used in combination in foodstuffs. Therefore a method to simultaneously extract and determine the currently permitted intense sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame K, NHDC and sucralose) and if possible cyclamic acid should be developed. The method should also cover the newly permitted sweetener, neotame and be capable of determining stevia extracts, such as stevioside and rebaudioside A.

UK public analyst laboratories should be consulted to determine which detection equipment they possess and what sweeteners they can currently analyse to ensure the developed method is suitable for use in public analyst laboratories. The method should be validated following the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) guidelines for single laboratory validation and a collaborative trial should also be conducted.

The Agency requires proposals are required to develop a robust and generally applicable method of analysis and to fully validate the method by collaborative trial. The developed method of analysis should be suitable for routine use in general analytical laboratories and be applicable for a wide range of food matrices.

Proposals are therefore invited to:

• Requirement Reference: A01R0014

Develop a fully validated method for the simultaneous determination of sweeteners (including neotame and steviol glycosides) in food.

Before preparing your proposal(s) you may wish to contact the named person below for further information:

Dr James Ridsdale, Food Composition and Labelling Division
email: james.ridsdale@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Please email any queries in the first instance.

The standard application documents and general background and instructions documents are available via the link below (see Research Requirement link).

Proposals should be sent, to be received by 5pm on 4 October 2010 to:

email: FSA_Remind@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

and also by post to:
Nadia Coleby
Procurement Manager
Food Standards Agency
1st Floor, Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London WC2B 6NH

(marked 'tender A01R0014')