Extractables, Leachables, and Food Contact Materials

Relevance of the Topic

Packaging materials can release a variety of chemical compounds into foods, including extractables, leachables, and non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). Controlling and identifying these migrants is essential for regulatory compliance, consumer safety, and brand protection.

Objectives and Study Overview

This collection of application notes presents integrated workflows for detecting and identifying extractables and leachables across pharmaceuticals, food contact materials, cosmetics, and e-cigarette devices. Studies include targeted and non-targeted screening of polymer additives, antioxidants, plasticizers, photoinitiators, primary aromatic amines, and NIAS. The goals are to streamline sample preparation, enhance sensitivity, and improve confidence in compound identification.

Methods and Instrumentation

• Sample preparation: solvent extraction, microwave, Soxhlet, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), ASAP probe desorption
• Separation techniques: UPLC, UPC2 supercritical fluid chromatography, GC, atmospheric pressure GC (APGC), UltraPerformance Convergence Chromatography
• Detection: high-resolution time-of-flight MS (Xevo G2-XS QTof, SYNAPT G2 HDMS), triple quadrupole MS (Xevo TQ-S micro, QDa), PDA and UV detectors
• Data acquisition: MS E /HDMS E for concurrent low-energy precursor and high-energy fragment ions, MS/MS for confirmatory analysis
• Informatics: Empower CDS, UNIFI Scientific Information System, MassLynx, MarkerLynx XS, MassFragment for structural elucidation, ChemSpider database search

Main Results and Discussion

• Pharmaceutical extractables: UHPLC-UV-MS and APGC-CI-MS identified polymer additives (phthalates, stabilizers) migrating from HDPE packaging under forced degradation conditions
• E-cigarette devices: comprehensive UPLC-QTof and GC-QTof non-targeted screening revealed absorbed plasticizers and NIAS using UNIFI workflows
• UPC2 applications: SFC analysis enabled direct injection of polar and non-polar extracts, reducing sample prep time and solvent usage
• SFE with MV-10 ASFE: supercritical fluid extraction provided rapid, low-solvent extraction of polymers prior to UPC2 analysis
• APGC-QTof screening: soft ionization combined with accurate mass and MSE facilitated NIAS identification in cosmetics and food contact materials
• Quantitation of PAAs: Xevo TQ-S micro enabled sub-ppb quantification of primary aromatic amines in nylon kitchenware using pH adjustment and post-column acidification
• Infant formula migrants: UPLC-QTof TOF screening and chemometric comparison identified benzoguanamine leaching from can linings, confirmed by MS/MS
• High-throughput screening: ASAP probe coupled to QTof allowed rapid, qualitative screening of nylon utensils for aniline and benzidine
• Paper and board packaging: UPLC/HR-TOF and MassFragment elucidated ink photoinitiators and resin additives as NIAS from recycled materials

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Highly sensitive, robust targeted and non-targeted workflows reduce product recall risk
• Single-instrument solutions integrate multiple separation modes (LC, GC, SFC) on one MS platform
• Accelerated sample prep via SFE and probe-based desorption maximizes throughput
• Concurrent MS E data acquisition streamlines structural elucidation without multiple injections
• Advanced informatics automates spectral matching, elemental composition, and multivariate analysis

Future Trends and Perspectives

Expect growth in automated high-throughput sample extraction, expanded spectral libraries for NIAS, and deeper integration of ion mobility and machine-learning algorithms in screening workflows. Continued advances in high-resolution MS and software will enhance isomer separation and compound identification for next-generation food packaging safety testing.

Conclusion

The combination of modern extraction techniques, diverse chromatographic separations, high-resolution MS (MS E, HDMS E), and intelligent data processing (UNIFI, MarkerLynx, MassFragment) has transformed extractables and leachables analysis. These integrated platforms deliver faster, more confident identification and quantification of migrant compounds, meeting evolving regulatory demands and safeguarding public health.

References

1. EU Regulation No. 10/2011 on plastic food contact materials
2. EU Framework Regulation 1935/2004 on materials and articles in contact with food
3. Commission Directive 2002/72/EC on plastics (primary aromatic amines)
4. Driffield et al. Food Contact Material Screening. J. Chromatogr. A (2011)
5. Dreolin et al. FCM NIAS Screening with APGC-QTof. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. (2018)