Application Note

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Phthalates are additives that are widely used in plastics and other materials, primarily to make them soft and flexible. Since phthalates are not chemically bound to plastics, they can be easily released into the environment. Thus, phthalates present in packaging materials may also be released into foods and beverages.

Phthalates have long been considered as potential endocrine disrupters. Consumption of plasticizer – tainted food or beverage products increase the risk of reproductive abnormalities. The regulations of Food Containers and Appliances (Taiwan) mandate that the maximum level of DEHP dissolved from plastic items must not exceed 1.5 ppm, and direct addition of DEHP to food is not permitted.

The U.S. FDA initiated a heightened surveillance program to screen suspect food products from Taiwan for DEHP and other plasticizers, such as butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), and di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP). Food safety regulators require that all products found to be contaminated with phthalates must be recalled and removed from shelves immediately. Rigorous test were carried out on various food and beverage products, including sport drinks, fruit juices, teas, fruit jams and jellies; food powders, and dietary supplement tablets.

This poses a major analytical challenge because the complexity of the food matrices requires the use of different extraction techniques. Thus the ability to rapidly screen for the presence of phthalates using a simple technique with minimal sample preparation and no chromatographic separation would be advantageous.

This application note describes a rapid screening method for phthalates in food and beverages using the Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe (ASAP), coupled with Xevo TQ MS. The time required from sample preparation to analysis takes less than two minutes. This initial quick screening enables food testing labs to reduce the number of samples that require testing, allowing for faster turnaround times. Only those samples that show positive results can then be submitted for further confirmatory and quantitative analysis.

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