Evaluation of the migration of 15 photo-initiators from cardboard packaging into Tenax^®using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS)

Abstract

Photo-initiators are widely used to cure ink on packaging materials used in food applications such as plastic films or cartonboards. In migration studies, food simulants are very often used to simulate food, like Tenax(®), which is the simulant for dry foodstuffs. In this paper a fast and reliable confirmation method for the determination of the following photo-initiators in Tenax(®) is described: benzophenone (BP), 4,4'-bis(diethylamino)benzophenone (DEAB), 2-chloro-9H-thioxanthen-9-one (CTX), 1-chloro-4-propoxy-9H-thioxanthen-9-one (CPTX), 2,4-diethyl-9H-thioxanthen-9-one (DETX), 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenyl acetophenone (DMPA), 4-(dimethylamino)benzophenone (DMBP), 2-ethylanthraquinone (EA), ethyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate (EDMAB), 1-hydroxylcyclohexyl phenyl ketone (HCPK), 2-hydroxy-4'-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-2-methylpropiophenone (HMMP), 2-isopropyl-9H-thioxanthen-9-one (ITX), 4-methylbenzophenone (MBP), Michler's ketone (MK), and 4-phenylbenzophenone (PBZ). After the migration study was completed, the simulant Tenax(®) was extracted using acetonitrile, followed by analysis on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Quantification was carried out using benzophenone-d10 (BP-d10) as internal standard. The presented method is validated in terms of matrix effect, specificity, linearity, recovery, precision and sensitivity, showing the method can detect all photo-initiators at very low concentrations (LOD < 0.125 µg g(-1) for all substances). Finally, the procedure was applied to real samples, proving the capabilities of the presented method.

Use of Tenax® films to demonstrate the migration of chemical contaminants from cardboard into dry food

“…However, a higher migration potential of photo-initiators towards rice was indicated in a rice matrix (Table 2). These results are of great consistency with the market survey performed in 2014 where significant amounts of photo-initiators were only found in several rice samples (Van Den Houwe et al, 2014).…”

“…The contaminants were selected based on a literature search on contaminants in paper and board. It was found that photo-initiators and phthalates are one of the most common groups of compounds present in paper and board food packaging (Aurela et al 1999;Jakubowska et al, 2014;Jung et al, 2013;Summerfield et al 2001;Van Den Houwe et al, 2014). Hence, two phthalates (BBP and DBP) and six photo-initiators (BP, DMPA, EDB, ITX, MBP and PBZ) were selected.…”

Photoinitiators use in printed baby bibs and their migration into Tenax® by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

“…The migration of 15 PIs into Tenax® was determined by UPLC‐MS/MS, from real paperboard packaged of dry food, collected in the Belgian market. Different PIs were found present, but the results for none of these samples exceeded the SML values 9 …”

The Use of Tenax® as a Simulant for the Migration of Contaminants in Dry Foodstuffs: A Review

“…In 2014, the migration of 15 photo‐initiators was evaluated by Van Den Houwe et al A multi‐method based on UPLC‐MS/MS was developed and applied to 15 real cardboard samples used for dry foodstuffs such as pasta, rice, cereals and bread crumbs …”