Identification of Potential Migrants in Polyethylene Terephthalate Samples of Ecuadorian Market

Abstract

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the plastic packaging material most widely used to produce bottles intended for contact with food and beverages. However, PET is not inert, and therefore, some chemical compounds present in PET could migrate to food or beverages in contact, leading to safety issues. To evaluate the safety of PET samples, the identification of potential migrants is required. In this work, eight PET samples obtained from the Ecuadorian market at different phases of processing were studied using a well-known methodology based on a solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis and overall migration test. Several chemical compounds were identified and categorized as lubricants (carboxylic acids with chain length of C12 to C18), plasticizers (triethyl phosphate, diethyl phthalate), thermal degradation products (p-xylene, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid), antioxidant degradation products (from Irgafos 168 and Irganox), and recycling indicator compounds (limonene, benzophenone, alkanes, and aldehydes). Additionally, overall migration experiments were performed in PET bottles, resulting in values lower than the overall migration limit (10 mg/dm2); however, the presence of some compounds identified in the samples could be related to contamination during manufacturing or to the use of recycled PET-contaminated flakes. In this context, the results obtained in this study could be of great significance to the safety evaluation of PET samples in Ecuador and would allow analyzing the PET recycling processes and avoiding contamination by PET flakes from nonfood containers.

Release of Selected Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) from PET Food Contact Materials: A New Online SPE-UHPLC-MS/MS Multiresidue Method

“…Analysis was performed in three replicates. Consistent results with those here exposed are presented in the work of Marín-Morocho et al [24]. The overall migration was, as for us, below the limits proposed by the European Regulation 10/2011; however, some samples gave positive results (not minor of 0.1 mg/dm 2 ).…”

Analysis of Migrant Cyclic PET Oligomers in Olive Oil and Food Simulants Using UHPLC-qTOF-MS

“…PET can be considered a highly inert material as it normally does not require the use of significant amounts of additives, therefore resulting in a low mass transfer of lubricants, plasticizers, and by-or degradation products into foodstuff [12]. Moreover, PET is a packaging material with good recyclability, and thus, PET bottles made of post-consumer recyclates with a content of up to 100% of recycled material are gaining a significant market share [13].…”