Abstract
Because of interference by coeluting capsaicinoids, the commonly used liquid chromatographic method for determining butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in pepperoni and spice blends is not reliable. A gas chromatographic method is described that cleanly separates these antioxidants from interfering substances. Average recoveries of BHA and BHT from oleoresin spiked at 5 concentrations were 97.6 and 104.3%, respectively. From pepperoni spiked at 4 levels, average recoveries were 79.1 and 87.9%, respectively. The repeatability of the method when applied to 5 replicates of pepperoni toppings was 36.4 ± 1.1 ppm for BHA and 32.2 ± 0.8 ppm for BHT.