HPLC analysis and safety assessment of coumarin in foods

Coumarin is a component of natural flavourings including cassia, which is widely used in foods and pastries. The toxicity of coumarin has raised some concerns and food safety authorities have set a maximum limit of 2 mg/kg for foods and beverages in general, and a maximum level of 10 mg/l for alcoholic beverages. An efficient method for routine analysis of coumarin is liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The optimal sample preparation for foods containing cinnamon was investigated and found to be cold extraction of 15 g sample with 50 mL of methanol (80%, v/v) for 30 min using magnetic stirring.