TITLE:
Determination of Five (5) Possible Contaminants in Recycled Cardboard Packages and Food Simulants Using Ultrasound Assisted Extraction Coupled to GC-MS
AUTHORS:
Ioanna-Efpraxia Parigoridi, Konstantoula Akrida-Demertzi, Panagiotis G. Demertzis
KEYWORDS:
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Ultrasound-Assisted Solvent Extraction, Organic Pollutants, Recycled Cardboard
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.5 No.10,
August
29,
2014
ABSTRACT: A modified analytical
procedure has been developed to test for 5 organic pollutants [benzophenone, 2
diisopropylnaphthalenes (DIPNs) {2,6- and 2,7-diisopropylnapthalene} and 2
hydrogenated terphenyls (HTPs) {m-terphenyl and o-terphenyl}] that can be found
as residues in recycled cardboards intended for use as food packaging materials
and to test for migration levels of these compounds in a food simulant (Tenax).
A main objective was to develop a modified rapid and reliable method for the
identification and quantification of these compounds at low concentrations. The
method was based on ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction (UAE) followed by
gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The developed method was
applied to analyze 3 commercially available recycled carton board
food-packaging materials and also to study the potential migration of the 5
organic pollutants from these materials into Tenax to check if these recycled
cardboards can be considered as suitable for use in direct contact with
foodstuffs. The limits of detection (LODs) of standard solutions of the 5
compounds were determined at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The LODs and the
limits of quantification (LOQs) of examined pollutants ranged between 0.005 to
0.5 mg/kg, and 0.1 to 1 mg/kg, respectively. The extremely low amounts of most
contaminants that migrate from packaging materials to Tenax indicate that the
recycled cardboards tested can be safely used for direct food contact
applications.