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This study evaluated the influence of parameters such as temperature and type of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film on the log Kp/f values of seven model migrants in food simulants. Two different types of LDPE films contaminated by extrusion and immersion were placed in contact with three food simulants including 20% ethanol, 50% ethanol and olive oil under several time-temperature conditions. Results suggest that most log Kp/f values are little affected by these parameters in this study. In addition, the relation between log Kp/f and log Po/w was established for each food simulant and regression lines, as well as correlation coefficients, were calculated. Correlations were compared with data from real foodstuffs. Data presented in this study could be valuable in assigning certain foods to particular food simulants as well as predicting the mass transfer of potential migrants into different types of food or food simulants, avoiding tedious and expensive laboratory analysis. The results could be especially useful for regulatory agencies as well as for the food industry.

A sensitive and selective GC-MS method was developed and used for simultaneous analysis of di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and 20 selected phthalates in the food samples from the 2013 Canadian Total Diet Study. At least one of the 21 target chemicals was detected in 141 of the 159 different food composite samples analysed. However, only seven of the 21 target chemicals were detected, with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and DEHA being detected most frequently, in 111 and 91 different food composite samples, respectively, followed by di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) (n = 44), n-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP) (32), di-iso-butyl phthalate (DiBP) (27), di-ethyl phthalate (DEP) (3), and di-cyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) (1). Levels of DEP (di-ethyl phthalate), DiBP, DBP, BBzP and DCHP were low, in general, with average concentrations of 9.63, 8.26, 23.2, 12.4 and 64.9 ng g(-1), respectively. Levels of DEHA and DEHP varied widely, ranging from 1.4 to 6010 ng g(-1) and from 14.4 to 714 ng g(-1), respectively. High levels of DEHA were found mainly in the composite samples where the individual food items used to prepare the composite were likely packaged in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wrapping film, while the highest DEHP levels were found in the vegetable and fruit samples.

Today most foods are available in a packed form. During storage, the migration of chemical substances from food packaging materials into food may occur and may therefore be a potential source of consumer exposure. To protect the consumer, standard migration tests are laid down in Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011. When using those migration tests and applying additional conservative conventions, estimated exposure is linked with large uncertainties including a certain margin of safety. Thus the research project FACET was initiated within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission with the aim of developing a probabilistic migration modelling framework which allows one (1) to calculate migration into foods under real conditions of use; and (2) to deliver realistic concentration estimates for consumer exposure modelling for complex packaging materials (including multi-material multilayer structures). The aim was to carry out within the framework of the FACET project a comprehensive systematic study on the solubility behaviour of foodstuffs for potentially migrating organic chemicals. Therefore a rapid and convenient method was established to obtain partition coefficients between polymer and food, KP/F. With this method approximately 700 time-dependent kinetic experiments from spiked polyethylene films were performed using model migrants, foods and ethanol-water mixtures. The partition coefficients of migrants between polymer and food (KP/F) were compared with those obtained using ethanol-water mixtures (KP/F's) to investigate whether an allocation of food groups with common migration behaviour to certain ethanol-water mixtures could be made. These studies have confirmed that the solubility of a migrant is mainly dependent on the fat content in the food and on the ethanol concentration of ethanol-water mixtures. Therefore dissolution properties of generic food groups for migrants can be assigned to those of ethanol-water mixtures. All foodstuffs (including dry foods) when allocated to FACET model food group codes can be classified into a reduced number of food categories each represented by a corresponding ethanol-water equivalency.

Polyadipate plasticizers can be present in the polyvinylchloride (PVC) gaskets used to seal the lids of glass jars. As the gaskets can come into direct contact with the foodstuffs inside the jar, the potential exists for polyadipate migration into the food. The procedure and performance characteristics of a test method for the analysis of polyadipates in food simulants (3% aqueous acetic acid and 10% aqueous ethanol) and the volatile test media used in substitute fat tests (isooctane and 95% aqueous ethanol) are described. The PVC gaskets were exposed to the food simulants or their substitutes under standard test conditions. Studies were initially carried out using direct measurement of the polyadipate oligomers by liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (LC-TOF-MS) but this was not practical due to the number of peaks detected. Instead, the migrating polyadipates were hydrolysed to adipic acid and measured by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS/MS). The amount of polyadipate that this measurement of adipic acid represents was then calculated. Method performance was assessed by analysis of gaskets from two types of jar lids by single-laboratory validation. Linearity, sensitivity, repeatability, intermediate reproducibility and recovery were determined to be suitable for checking compliance with the 30 mg/kg specific migration limits for polyesters of 1,2-propane diol and/or 1,3- and/or 1,4-butanediol and/or polypropylene-glycol with adipic acid, which may be end-capped with acetic acid or fatty acids C(12)-C(18) or n-octanol and/or n-decanol. The method was found to be much quicker than previous methods involving extraction, clean-up, hydrolysis, esterification, derivatisation and GC measurement, consequently saving time and money.