Contaminants in food - NIAS in packaging and PFAS

Session 1: NIAS in packaging and PFAS

A non-intentionally added substance or NIAS, in packaging is an issue of growing concern. First mentioned in EU Regulation 10/2011, predictable and unpredictable NIAS, in the form of degradation products and impurities, were found not only in plastic but also in paper and in newly developed materials, such as recycled and biobased packaging.

In the case of recycled materials, there is a new type of NIAS, which comes from recycling cycles: an accumulation of different mixture of chemicals might occur when materials are recycled many times. The prediction, identification and control of NIAS in recycled materials is therefore challenging because of the difficulty tracing their origin.

Due to the complex identification of the contamination pathway, chemicals like PFAS can be considered to be both intentionally and non-intentionally added. Some PFAS molecules are included for use and find market applications in food contact materials due to their grease- and water-proof properties. In this case they are intentionally added. This is frequent in paper packaging; and when this also has a recycled content, PFAS can be present as NIAS, originating from the intentionally added PFAS in the recycled paper fibres, or from inks, for example.

Environmental contamination should also not be ignored, where PFAS can be introduced in paper packaging from water used during the recycling or manufacturing process or from the atmosphere.

Distinguishing between these sources is important: new instrumental technologies and approaches are needed, not only for analytical efficiency and for performance, but also to open up the identification and quantification of what is predictable and what is not.

Presenter: Andrea Vittadello (Mérieux NutriSciences Food Science Center)

Andrea Vittadello co-ordinates the group of Project Managers in Mérieux NutriSciences Food Science Center and is himself Project Manager for the Sustainability area. He has been part of this laboratory since 2002 and has been involved almost immediately in biodegradability studies. He is a member of the European Bioplastics Technical Committee and the BPI Committee on Standards and Procedures. He is also currently Convenor at two CEN groups for Specific and Global Migrations, and of a UNI committee on Food Contact Materials.

Session 2: A GC- and LC-MS workflow for determining NIAS in food packaging

In addition to known intentionally added substances, food packaging can contain degradation products, impurities, and contaminants from production processes or recycled materials, i.e., non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). These components can potentially migrate into food, thus requiring studies that screen for NIAS and characterize food safety more accurately. This process is complicated, however, by the need to use a non-target analysis workflow for unknown identification.

This talk will discuss development, validation, and application of non-target analysis workflows for NIAS identification in food packaging for both GC-HRMS and LC-HRMS platforms. Results from plastic and paper food packaging studies will also be presented, where intentionally and non-intentionally added substances, including PFAS, are identified.

Presenter: Dr. Yelena Sapozhnikova (Agricultural Research Service, USDA)

Dr. Yelena Sapozhnikova is a Research Chemist at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Wyndmoor, PA, USA. Her research focuses on the development of new methods for the residual analysis of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, environmental and emerging contaminants, and food packaging chemicals using gas and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Dr. Sapozhnikova has over 20 years of experience in the analysis of chemical contaminants in food and environmental samples.

Presenter: Dr. Raegyn Taylor (Agricultural Research Service, USDA)

In 2021, Raegyn earned her PhD in analytical chemistry from Baylor University where her primary focus was analysis of pesticides, harmful algal bloom toxins, and pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems. Her current research efforts focus on assessing potential human exposure to emerging contaminants in food and food packaging with targeted and non-targeted LC-MS based approaches.