Printing ink compounds in foods: UK survey results

Three hundred and fifty foodstuffs packaged in printed paper/board were purchased from UK retail outlets. Solvent extracts of all foods and associated quality assurance samples were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the presence and concentrations of 20 printing ink compounds: benzophenone, 4-methylbenzophenone, 2-methylbenzophenone, 3-methylbenzophenone, 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 2-hydroxybenzophenone, 4-phenylbenzophenone, methyl-2-benzoylbenzoate, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 2-isopropylthioxanthone, 4-isopropylthioxanthone, 2,4-diethyl-9H-thioxanthen-9-one, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, 2-methyl-4'-(methylthio)-2-morpholinopropiophenone, 4-(4-methylphenylthio)benzophenone, ethyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate, 2-ethylhexyl-4-(dimethylamino)benzoate, N-ethyl-p-toluene-sulphonamide, triphenyl phosphate and di-(2-ethylhexyl) fumarate. The presence of one or more of the compounds benzophenone, 4-phenylbenzophenone, methyl-2-benzoylbenzoate, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, 4-(4-methylphenylthio)benzophenone, ethyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate, 2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate and triphenyl phosphate was confirmed in some food samples. Analysis of the associated packaging material was also carried out to confirm whether or not it was likely that the occurrence of these compounds in the foods was due to migration from the printed paper/board packaging. With the exception of triphenyl phosphate, detected in one foodstuff, all the packaging material contained the substance(s) found in the food.