Determination of phthalate in PVC food wrap by gas chromatography mass spectrometry

Toxic phthalates that can be released from food packaging into food are currently a matter of concern, affecting consumers’ health. However, in Vietnam, no studies have been published on this group of substances in food packaging and films. In this research, a method for the simultaneous determination of 7 typical phthalates, including benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) in food wrap samples by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using internal standards has been developed and validated. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for all substances was 0.03 mg/kg and 0.10 mg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of the method were in the range of 82-105%. Relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 5.6 to 7.5%. The method has been applied effectively to analyze the content of phthalates in 35 food wrap samples that were collected from markets in Hanoi. Analytical results showed that ten samples were detected with phthalates, of which three samples contained DEHA exceeding the specific migration limit (SML). This study contributes to consumer health protection and advises the regulatory agency on the addition of safety regulations for PVC food wrap in particular and other food packaging materials in general.