Migration Modeling as a Valuable Tool for Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Oligomers

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used food contact materials due to its excellent mechanical properties and recyclability. Migration of substances from PET and assessment of compliance are usually determined by experimental testing, which can be challenging depending on the migrants of interest. Low concentrations and missing reference standards, among other factors, have led to inadequate investigation of the migration potential of PET oligomers. Migration modeling can overcome such limitations and is therefore a suitable starting point for exposure and risk assessment. In this study, the activation energy-based (E_A) model and the A_P model were used to systematically evaluate the migration potential of 52 PET oligomers for 12 different application scenarios. Modeling parameters and conditions were evaluated to investigate their impact and relevance on the assessment of realistic exposures. Obtained results were compared with safety thresholds known from the concept of toxicological thresholds of concern. This allowed the evaluation and identification of oligomers and/or applications where migration or exposure levels may be associated with a potential risk because they exceed these safety thresholds. Overall, this study demonstrated that migration modeling can be a high-throughput, fast, flexible, and suitable approach for comprehensive exposure assessment.     

Migration Testing of GPPS and HIPS Polymers: Swelling Effect Caused by Food Simulants Compared to Real Foods

Migration kinetic data from general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) were generated for a set of model substances as well as styrene monomer and oligomers at different temperatures (20 °C, 40 °C, 60 °C) using food simulants stipulated in the European Regulation (EU) 10/2011 and real foods like milk, cream and olive oil (20 °C, 40 °C). The extent of polymer swelling was characterized gravimetrically and visual changes of the test specimens after migration contact were recorded. Isooctane and 95% ethanol caused strong swelling and visual changes of HIPS, overestimating real migration into foods especially at high temperatures; GPPS was affected by isooctane only at 60 °C. With 50% ethanol, after 10 days contact at 60 °C or 40 °C both polymers were slightly swollen. Contrary, most of the real foods analyzed caused no detectable swelling or visual changes of the investigated polymers. This study demonstrates that the recommendations provided by EU regulations are not always in agreement with the physicochemical properties of styrenic polymers. The critical point remains the selection of adequate food simulants/testing conditions, since the high overestimation of aggressive media can lead to non-compliance of polystyrene materials even if the migration into real food would be of no concern.     

Determination of Dihydroxybenzenes in Plastic Food Packaging Materials and in Food Simulating Liquids Using Capillary Electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis method has been developed to determine 1,2-dihydroxybenzene and 1,3-dihydroxybenzene in the food simulants distilled water, 3% acetic acid, 15% ethanol, and olive oil. Both substances, used as monomers and additives to make food packaging plastics, could be analyzed within 15 min. The 1,4-dihydroxybenzene isomer was unretained and eluted with the electroosmotic flow, and so the CE method can give only a semi-quantitative estimate of this isomer if it is present as a migrant. The analytical recovery for the 1,2- and 1,3-isomers from spiked simulants was good at 87% to 98% except for 1,2-dihydroxybenzene which could only be recovered to the extent of 58% from olive oil. Calibration graphs were linear and the limit of detection for each substance was 0.6 mg/kg, which is well below migration limits for these substances. It is concluded that CE offers a rapid and reliable analysis for the control of migration from plastics intended for food contact which employ 1,2-dihydroxybenzene or 1,3-dihydroxybenzene during manufacture, and offers a screening method for 1,4-dihydroxybenzene migration.     

超高效液相色谱法同时测定食品接触材料与食品模拟物中6种紫外吸收剂

建立了食品接触材料(聚氯乙烯和聚乙烯塑料)和食品模拟物中6种紫外吸收剂(UV-9、UV-326、UV-327、UV-329、UV-234和UV-1577)的超高效液相色谱测定方法.采用四氢呋喃溶解聚氯乙烯、热甲苯溶解聚乙烯材料以提取样品中的目标化合物;用凝胶渗透色谱法净化食品模拟物橄榄油样品;在ACQUITY UPLC...     

纸基包装材料中抗氧化剂及增塑剂向干性食品模拟物Tenax TA迁移的研究

采用改性聚苯醚多孔聚合物微球Tenax TA为干性食品模拟物,用于纤维素纸基食品接触材料中3-叔丁基-4-羟基苯甲醚(BHA)、2,6-二叔丁基-4-甲基苯酚(BHT)和邻苯二甲酸二环己酯(DCP)向Tenax TA迁移的研究,以超高效液相色谱进行测定。迁移试验以白卡纸和牛皮纸为研究对象,通过设计不同迁移时间和迁移温度下3种目标物向Tenax TA迁移的实验,获取有机化合物从纸基纤维素向Tenax TA迁移的规律。结果表明,有机化合物从纸基材料向多孔聚合物微球的迁移经历了气体吸附和脱附两个步骤。在Tenax TA吸附目标化合物的过程中,纤维素纸基材料的微观孔径尺寸越大,与迁移物的相互作用越小,迁移物迁移的速率越大,Tenax TA的吸附效率越高;当吸附达到平衡后,迁移时间的延长会引发Tenax TA中迁移物的脱附,进而导致目标化合物的迁移率下降。对45种纸基食品接触材料中目标迁移物的筛查表明,BHA和DCP分别存在于两种不同类型的纸基食品接触材料中,迁移量分别为0.027μg/dm~2和0.81μg/dm~2,均小于欧盟指令规定的特定迁移限量。     

食品接触材料中高锰酸钾消耗量检测能力验证实施及应用评价

面对日趋完善的食品接触材料卫生标准体系,为掌握高锰酸钾消耗量测定的技术要求,做好相应合规性判定,充分发挥能力验证对检验检测机构技术能力监督和质量提升的作用,该文进行了食品接触用塑料材料及制品中高锰酸钾消耗量的测定能力验证。通过定制棕色塑料食品包装瓶作为相关能力验证样品,依据相关标准要求进行均匀性、稳定性评价,对回收结果采用稳健统计技术算法A确定指定值和能力评定标准差,并对可能产生不满意结果的影响因素进行了分析。192家参与该项能力验证的实验室中有179家结果为满意,满意率为93.2%;12家实验室结果为不满意,占6.3%;1家实验室结果为可疑,占0.5%。总体结果较好,个别实验室出现的不合格结果可通过本次能力验证分析查找原因,达到提高实验室相应检测能力的目的。     

Determination of 60 Migrant Substances in Plastic Food Contact Materials by Vortex-Assisted Liquid-Liquid Extraction and GC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS

A GC-HRMS analytical method for the determination of 60 migrant substances, including aldehydes, ketones, phthalates and other plasticizers, phenol derivatives, acrylates, and methacrylates, in plastic food contact materials (FCM) has been developed and validated. The proposed method includes migration tests, according to Commission Regulation (EU) 10/2011, using four food simulants (A, B, C, and D1), followed by vortex-assisted liquid–liquid extraction (VA-LLE) and GC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS analysis in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode, with a resolving power of 30,000 FWHM and a mass accuracy ≤5 ppm. The method was validated, showing satisfactory linearity (R² ≥ 0.98 from 40 to 400 µg L⁻¹), limits of quantification (40 µg L⁻¹), precision (RSD, 0.6–12.6%), and relative recovery (81–120%). The proposed method was applied to the analysis of field samples, including an epoxy-coated tin food can, a drinking bottle made of Tritan copolyester, a disposable glass made of polycarbonate, and a baby feeding bottle made of polypropylene, showing that they were in compliance with the current European regulation regarding the studied substances.     

液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱同时测定食品接触材料中双酚A、双酚F与双酚S的迁移量

采用液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱(LC-MS/MS)建立了食品接触材料中双酚A、双酚F和双酚S化合物的同时测定方法。双酚A、双酚F和双酚S在样品中通过与食品模拟物在一定温度、时间接触的状态下迁移到食品模拟物中,以C18色谱柱进行分离,甲醇-氨水为流动相洗脱,采用电喷雾离子源(ESI),多反应监测(MRM)负离子模式进行扫描,同位素内标法定量。结果表明,双酚A、双酚F和双酚S的色谱分离良好,双酚A和双酚F在1~50μg/L质量浓度范围内与其峰面积均呈线性关系,BPS在0.1~50μg/L质量浓度范围内与其峰面积呈线性关系。BPA和BPF的最低检出限为0.3μg/L,BPS的最低检出限为0.05μg/L。加标回收率为83.6%~102.6%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为3.5%~8.9%。该方法快速可靠、准确简便,适用于食品接触材料中双酚A、双酚F和双酚S化合物的检测。     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定食品接触材料及制品中9种抗氧化剂迁移量

为了评估食品接触材料及制品中抗氧化剂的迁移风险,采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(UPLC-MS/MS)建立了同时测定食品接触材料及制品中9种抗氧化剂迁移量的方法。采用C18色谱柱对迁移实验后的食品模拟物中9种抗氧化剂进行分离,1 mmol/L氟化铵和甲醇为流动相洗脱,采用电喷雾离子源(ESI),多反应监测(MRM)正负离子模式进行扫描。结果表明,9种抗氧化剂的色谱分离效果良好,并在0.3~6 mg/L质量浓度范围内与其峰面积均呈良好的线性关系,检出限为0.1 mg/L。加标回收率为93.9%~106%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.80%~9.3%。该方法快速高效、线性范围好,适用于塑料食品接触材料及制品中9种抗氧化剂迁移量的检测。     

高效液相色谱法检测食品接触材料中三聚氰酸的残留量

建立了一种用液相色谱技术检测分析食品接触材料中三聚氰酸残留量的方法。样品采用体积分数为10%的乙醇溶液作为提取溶液,超声提取。色谱分离采用氨基色谱柱,流动相为乙腈-磷酸盐缓冲溶液(体积比为75∶25),二极管阵列检测器检测。在优化条件下,三聚氰酸质量浓度在0.5～50 mg/L范围内与色谱峰面积线性关系良好,检出限(S/N=3)为0.1 mg/L。在0.1%的添加水平下,三聚氰酸的回收率在80%～93%之间,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.36%～2.54%(n=6)。揭示了原料中三聚氰酸残留量与成型品的三聚氰酸迁移量的正相关关系。结果表明,该法简便、快速,可准确测定食品接触材料中三聚氰酸残留量。