Green Sorptive Sampling Coupled With UHPLC–IMS–MS and GC×GC–TOFMS for Characterization of Migrating Substances From Plastic Food Contact Materials

Abstract

Comprehensive analysis of migrating compounds from plastic food contact materials (FCMs) is analytically demanding due to the structural diversity and broad physicochemical properties of intentionally and non-intentionally added substances (IAS and NIAS). This necessitates the development of advanced, multidimensional separation techniques coupled with high-resolution detection for trace-level characterization. Five million tones of chemical additives are incorporated into plastic FCMs annually, which is concerning considering the health risks associated with human exposure to migrating chemicals. This study provides a simplified green sorptive sampling loop for detecting and quantifying IAS and NIAS that migrate from FCMs during everyday use. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sorptive sampler loop was used as the sampling device, allowing migrated compounds to be enriched directly from the sample matrix. After extraction, the same sampler format was compatible with two analytical workflows: thermal desorption directly into the GC inlet for GC×GC–TOFMS analysis, or liquid back-extraction into solvent for subsequent UHPLC-IMS-MS analysis. Complementary chromatography and ion mobility high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–IMS–MS and GC×GC–TOFMS) enabled the detection and quantification of a range of chemical compounds at trace levels, including phthalates, UV absorbers, stabilizers, surfactants, and hydrocarbons. Over 30 compounds were detected as migrating from FCMs using GC–MS, and 26 compounds were identified using LC–MS. Unknown target identification using LC–MS was aided by the use of collision cross section (CCS) values, thus strengthening putative identification. Limits of detection of the eight target analytes ranged from 0.023 to 97 ng L⁻¹ for LC–MS and IAS were detected at concentrations ranging from 0.0065 to ∼25 µg L^− 1. Our study exemplifies the wide range of chemical compounds that migrate from FCMs during everyday FCM use. The green sampling technique presented here allowed the quantification of daily exposure to these chemicals and has potential application to human health and environmental risk assessments.