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Per-poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of synthetic fluorine compounds used in food packaging materials to repel water and fats. This study assessed the chemical migration of PFAS from different food contact materials, including cardboard, recycled cardboard, biopolymer, paper and Teflon trays, from various markets. Migration assays were conducted using Tenax® as a food simulant, which was optimized by subjecting it to three consecutive extractions with 3 mL of ethanol within an hour. The resulting extractions were combined and concentrated to 0.5 mL using a nitrogen stream. The analysis was performed using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with ion-mobility (IMS) quadrupole-time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry, which provided a powerful and novel tool for identifying a library of targets containing collision cross section values (CCS) and increasing confidence in subsequent identifications. Eleven PFAS compounds belonging to the family of perfluorocarboxylic acid, perfluorosulfonic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid substances (PFCAs, PFSAs and FOSAAs) were found in packaging samples obtained from China, with migrant concentrations ranging 3.2 and 22.3 μg/kg. In contrast, no detectable levels of PFAS were observed in packaging samples obtained in Spain. All trays tested were deemed to be suitable for use as food contact materials due to the fact that their migrant values were lower than 0.025 mg/kg for PFOA and its salts, and lower than a maximum concentration of 1 mg/kg for PFOA-related compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Although most new biomaterials for food industry applications are labelled '100% natural fabrication' and 'chemical-free', certain compounds may migrate from those materials to the food, compromising the organoleptic characteristics and safety of the product. In this work, the degree of compound migration from dishes made with four different biomaterials: bamboo, palm leaf, wood and wheat pulp was investigated. Migration tests were carried out using three food simulants, 10% ethanol (simulant A), 3% acetic acid (simulant B), and 95% ethanol (simulant D2). Unequivocal identification of non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) is challenging even when using high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques however, a total of 25 different non-volatile compounds from the migration tests were identified and quantified using Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-IMS-MS). In the bamboo samples three oligomers, cyclic diethylene glycol adipate, 3,6,9,16,19,22-hexaoxabicyclo[22.3.1]-octacosa-1(28),24,26-triene-2,10,15,23-tetrone and 1,4,7,14,17,20-hexaoxacyclohexacosane-8,13,21,26-tetrone exceeded the specified limits of migration., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An exhaustive migration study of eight corks, made of ethylene-vinyl acetate, was carried out to identify any non-volatile and volatile compounds using an untargeted approach. The challenge associated with the structural elucidation of unknowns was undertaken using both ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to an ion-mobility separation quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. A total of fifty compounds were observed to migrate from the corks, and among these additives such as antioxidants (Butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, Irganox 1010, Irganox 1075, Irgafos 168 and BHT) or lubricants (EBO and octadecanamide, N,N'-1,2-ethanediylbis-) were identified. A high proportion (84%) of the detected compounds was non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), and included several cyclic oligomers with different chain sequences. NIAS, such as 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-ethyl and 7,9-ditert-butyl-1-oxaspiro[4.5]deca-6,9-diene-2,8-dione, break-down products, including hexa-, hepta- and nonadecanamide, N,N'-1,2-ethanediylbis-, and oxidation products were also identified. One cork was found to be unsuitable for use as a food contact material., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Polyurethane adhesives are used to bond agglomerated cork and natural disk cork to produce cork stoppers that are used in champagne bottles. These adhesives are manufactured by reacting polyols with an excess of diisocyanates. Isocyanates are highly reactive compounds that have a propensity to form non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in the end product. In this work, ion mobility-time of flight-mass spectrometry was used to elucidate such NIAS, through the comparison of accurate mass spectra with the fragmentation patterns of proposed candidates. Twelve neo-formed compounds, including amines, amides and urethanes, resulting from the reaction of isocyanates with acetic acid and ethanol used as food simulants, were identified. Additionally, markers from champagne vs. champagne after its exposure to the adhesive were investigated using the supervised multivariate analysis method of Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structures - Discriminant Analysis. Four neo-formed compounds, resulting from the reaction of diisocyanates with malic acid or tartaric acid contained in the champagne, were identified for the first time in this work. All of the compounds identified were subsequently quantified using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Limits of detection were below 5 μg/kg in the food simulants and below 30 μg/kg in champagne samples. Migration levels ranged from 70 to 721 μg/kg, with most of them exceeding the specific migration limit established for Cramer class III compound (90 μg/kg)., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Nontarget analysis of nonvolatile substances in complex samples is a very challenging task that requires powerful analytical techniques and experience of analyzing such samples. An extensive study was conducted in order to identify nonintentionally added substances (NIAS) migrating from 18 polyethylene (PE) samples intended to be in contact with food. The migration assays were performed in five simulants and analyzed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to an ion-mobility separation (IMS) quadrupole-time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer. This experimental setup provides a novel and powerful tool for this type of nonvolatile and nontargeted analysis. Thirty-five compounds were identified, 17 of which were NIAS. Methyl and ethyl 3-(3,5-di- tert -butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propanoate were found to be degradation products of either Irganox 1010 or Irganox 1076. Additionally, breakdown products including hexa-heptadecanamide, N , N '-1,2-ethanediylbis- and 11-eicosenamide were identified together with impurity reaction products, e.g., dibutyl amine or compounds of unknown origin like phosphine oxide, tributyl-. Forty-five percent of the detected compounds are in the positive list contained in Regulation 10/2011/EU, and their migration values were below their specific migration limits. The risk assessment for the rest of the compounds was carried out by comparing their migration values to the maximum concentration recommended by Cramer, e.g., ethyl 3-(3,5-di- tert -butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propanoate and benzenepropanoic acid, 3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-hydroxy-, 1,1'-[2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediyl] ester (both class II toxicity), heptadecanamide, N , N '-1,2-ethanediylbis-, and phosphine oxide, tributyl- (both class III toxicity) were above the maximum concentration values for three samples that were migrated to ethanol 95%, and therefore, these samples are not suitable for food contact. The analytical tools and procedures used in this study are presented and discussed in detail.