Quantitative Analysis of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) Levels as Food Additives in Various Food Samples from the Jordanian Market

This study presents a quantitative determination of titanium dioxide (TiO2, E171) in food products frequently consumed by children. An optimized acid digestion method using concentrated sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrogen peroxide at 200 °C for 45 minutes was developed to efficiently extract TiO2 from food matrices. The recovered TiO2 was quantified using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and UV–Visible spectrophotometry. Both methods were successfully applied to twentyfive food products from the Jordanian market, including chewing gums, candies, and powdered juices. Structural and morphological characterization of the extracted TiO2 was carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). XRD confirmed the presence of both anatase and rutile crystalline phases, while SEM revealed irregular particle morphology. FTIR spectra showed characteristic Ti–O vibrations, and DLS analysis indicated that the particle sizes were in the micrometer range, with no evidence of engineered nanoparticles. The proposed approach enables accurate monitoring of TiO2 content in foods and supports regulatory efforts to evaluate consumer exposure to E171, particularly in products marketed to children.