Validation a solid-phase extraction-HPLC method for determining the migration behaviour of five aromatic amines from...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Safety
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Aromatic amines can migrate from food packaging into foodstuffs.
• Assessing this migration is crucial for ensuring food safety and regulatory compliance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for determining five aromatic amines in seafood simulants.
• To investigate the migration of these amines from black plastic packaging into various simulants.

Main Methods:

• High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE).
• Analysis using a Halo C18 column with a methanol/phosphate buffer mobile phase and gradient elution.
• Migration studies conducted at 4°C using water, 3% acetic acid, 10% ethanol, and 50% ethanol as seafood simulants.

Main Results:

• A validated HPLC method achieved linear ranges of 0.1-10.0 mg/L with high absolute recoveries (85.3%-98.4%).
• Detection limits for the five aromatic amines ranged from 0.015 to 0.08 mg/L.
• Migration of o-methoxyaniline, p-chloroaniline, aniline, and 2,6-dimethylaniline increased with incubation time; 3,3´-dimethylbenzidine was not detected.

Conclusions:

• The developed HPLC-SPE method is effective for quantifying aromatic amines in seafood simulants.
• Black plastic packaging demonstrated migration of specific aromatic amines into food simulants over time.
• Further research may be needed to assess the long-term safety implications of migrating amines.