Determination of polyolefin additives by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Determination of 60 Migrant Substances in Plastic Food Contact Materials by Vortex-Assisted Liquid-Liquid Extraction and GC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS

A GC-HRMS analytical method for the determination of 60 migrant substances, including aldehydes, ketones, phthalates and other plasticizers, phenol derivatives, acrylates, and methacrylates, in plastic food contact materials (FCM) has been developed and validated. The proposed method includes migration tests, according to Commission Regulation (EU) 10/2011, using four food simulants (A, B, C, and D1), followed by vortex-assisted liquid–liquid extraction (VA-LLE) and GC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS analysis in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode, with a resolving power of 30,000 FWHM and a mass accuracy ≤5 ppm. The method was validated, showing satisfactory linearity (R² ≥ 0.98 from 40 to 400 µg L⁻¹), limits of quantification (40 µg L⁻¹), precision (RSD, 0.6–12.6%), and relative recovery (81–120%). The proposed method was applied to the analysis of field samples, including an epoxy-coated tin food can, a drinking bottle made of Tritan copolyester, a disposable glass made of polycarbonate, and a baby feeding bottle made of polypropylene, showing that they were in compliance with the current European regulation regarding the studied substances.

Determination of the Contents of Antioxidants and Their Degradation Products in Sodium Chloride Injection for Blood Transfusion

The infusion bag is mainly made up of polyolefin polymer. Antioxidants are usually added to these polymer materials in the production process to prevent the materials from aging and enhance the stability of the materials. Because of the potential harm of antioxidants to human body, it is necessary to limit the amount of antioxidants migrating to the pharmaceutical solutions. In the present study, we developed and validated the HPLC method for the simultaneous quantification of antioxidants and their degradation products migrating to sodium chloride solution for injection. A total of six antioxidants and six their degradation products were separated and simultaneously determined by using a Waters Symmetry RP18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and gradient elution of methanol/acetonitrile/acetic acid-water (1 : 99, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detective wavelength was set at 277 nm, and the column temperature was maintained at 35°C. The method was validated in terms of limit of detection (LOD, 0.011-0.151 μg/mL), limit of quantification (LOQ, 0.031-0.393 μg/mL), intraday precision (0.25%-3.17%), interday precision (0.47%-3.48%), linearity (0.1-46.8 μg/mL, r > 0.9994), stability (0.35%-3.29%), and accuracy (80.39%-104.31%). In the extraction experiment, antioxidants, BHT, 1010, 1330, 1076, and 168, and their degradation products, 1310 and DBP, were detected in the packaging materials. Only 1310 was detected in the migration experiment. The maximum daily dosage of sodium chloride for blood transfusion is three bags, and the content of 1310 in long-term testing samples is from 0 to 12 months ranging from 37.44 μg/3 bags to 48.71 μg/3 bags. The daily intake of 1310 did not exceed 48.71 μg, which was much lower than its permitted daily exposure (PDE, 300 μg/day). Therefore, the antioxidants and their degradation products migrating into the drug solution would not cause drug safety risks.