Investigation of food additives readily biodegradability in respirometric tests

The biodegradability of fourteen (14) food additives, belonging to different groups such as artificial sweeteners, preservatives and coloring agents, was evaluated using the OECD 301F protocol (manometric respirometry test). According to the results, seven out of fourteen compounds, namely Aspartame, Cyclamate Na, Saccharin, Erythritol, Potassium Sorbate, Benzoic Acid and Sodium Ascorbate are characterized as readily biodegradable with biodegradation rates of 83.6 ± 11.4%, 91.5 ± 5.8%, 81.0 ± 9.6%, 76.3 ± 9.2%, 104.1 ± 8.9%, 100.4 ± 4.0% and 85.9 ± 7.7%, respectively, during the 28-d experiment. On the other hand, Alitame, Xylitol, Curcumin, Ponceau 4R, Allura Red, Sunset Yellow and Azorubine did not meet the strict definition of ready biodegradability. Further biodegradations tests are required for these compounds in order to investigate their biodegradation potential under different experimental conditions.