To conduct non-targeted screening and risk assessment of non-volatile migrants from food contact paper-based composite materials.
Liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was adopted to comprehensively screen the migration behaviors of non-volatile substances from 2 typical food contact paper-based composites (paper/aluminum/plastic and paper/plastic) under different migration conditions. Risk assessment was performed to assess the safety risks of the detected migrants. Principal component analysis (PCA) was further applied to compare the differences in migration substances between the 2 types of materials.
A total of 38 kinds of non-volatile migrants, including sizing agents, antioxidants and lubricants, were identified from the 2 types of materials in acidic food simulants and high alcohol-containing food simulants. Risk assessment results indicated that 5 kinds of alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) sizing agents migrating from paper/plastic composite films in 95% ethanol posed potential health risks, suggesting that further refined risk evaluation was required. PCA revealed distinguishable differences in the composition of migrants between the 2 kinds of paper-based composites under 95% ethanol migration conditions. The number and migration levels of migrants released from paper/plastic composite films were overall higher than those from paper/aluminum/plastic composites.
The comprehensive migration data demonstrated that the barrier performance of paper/plastic composites against hazardous substances in paper substrates is inferior to that of paper/aluminum/plastic composites. Special attention should be paid to the migration risk of AKD sizing agents when packaging high-fat or alcoholic foodstuffs. It is proposed that relevant risks can be reduced by optimizing the sizing process, strengthening the quality screening of raw paper materials, adjusting or increasing the thickness of the barrier layer and defining the application scope.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |