Total and Class-Specific Determination of Fluorinated Compounds in Consumer and Food Packaging Samples Using...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Food packaging frequently utilizes water-based barrier coatings containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
• Accurate detection of PFAS in food packaging is crucial for consumer safety and regulatory compliance.
• Existing methods like Total Organic Fluorine (TOF) may yield inaccurate results due to reliance on extraction processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Fluorine-19 solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹⁹F ss-NMR) spectroscopy for direct PFAS detection in food packaging.
• To compare ¹⁹F ss-NMR with conventional methods like TOF for PFAS analysis.
• To optimize ¹⁹F ss-NMR for enhanced sensitivity in detecting low concentrations of PFAS.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of hamburger wrapping paper using Total Organic Fluorine (TOF) and ¹⁹F ss-NMR spectroscopy.
• ¹⁹F ss-NMR was employed to differentiate between organic (PFAS) and inorganic fluorine sources.
• Experimental conditions were systematically varied to improve the detection limits for PFAS.

Main Results:

• ¹⁹F ss-NMR spectroscopy successfully differentiated between naturally occurring inorganic fluorine and spiked perfluorooctanoic acid (a PFAS).
• The study explored conditions to enhance sensitivity for PFAS detection at concentrations of 10-20 mg/kg.
• Despite limitations in detection limit and resolution, ¹⁹F ss-NMR proved capable of directly identifying PFAS.

Conclusions:

• ¹⁹F ss-NMR spectroscopy is a viable tool for the direct detection of PFAS in food and consumer packaging.
• This method offers a valuable alternative and complement to existing techniques, providing direct evidence of PFAS moieties.
• ¹⁹F ss-NMR enhances analytical accuracy by eliminating the need for complex sample cleanup procedures.