Nontargeted analysis of volatiles in food contact paper: odorants, risk substances, and their potential origins

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Food contact materials, particularly paper products, can potentially leach volatile compounds into food.
• Understanding the chemical composition of food contact paper is crucial for ensuring food safety and preventing off-odors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive, nontargeted screening of volatile compounds in various food contact paper products.
• To identify key odorants and high-risk substances, trace their origins, and assess their distribution.
• To develop a risk scoring scheme for rapid identification of hazardous substances.

Main Methods:

• Optimized headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF MS) for volatile compound analysis.
• Chemometric analysis to evaluate variations among different paper samples.
• Development of a risk scoring scheme to prioritize substances based on potential health impacts.

Main Results:

• Identified 277 volatile compounds across 70 food contact paper samples from seven usage types and six material types.
• Detected 30 main odorants and 18 odor contributors, with varying odor characteristics.
• Identified 33 high-risk substances using the developed risk scoring scheme, tracing their origins to raw materials and additives.
• Found significant correlations between several high-risk substances, indicating co-occurrence.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a detailed chemical profile of volatiles in food contact paper, highlighting significant variations.
• The identified high-risk substances and their origins offer critical information for the food contact paper industry.
• Findings support enhanced food safety measures and consumer health protection by managing chemical risks in food packaging.