Analysis of Plasticizer Contamination Throughout Olive Oil Production

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Plasticizers are widely used in food packaging and processing equipment.
• Olive oil, a staple food, can potentially accumulate contaminants from its production environment.
• Regulatory limits exist for plasticizers in food contact materials, but their presence in final products like olive oil requires monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To monitor the contamination of olive oil by 32 plasticizers throughout production and storage.
• To identify the primary sources of plasticizer contamination in olive oil.
• To assess the impact of packaging materials and storage duration on plasticizer levels.

Main Methods:

• Sampling of olive oil at various production stages from three Portuguese facilities.
• Analysis of 23 phthalates and 9 phthalate substitutes using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).
• Liquid-liquid extraction and freezing steps for sample clean-up.

Main Results:

• Plasticizer concentrations increased progressively during olive oil production.
• Di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) was the most prevalent plasticizer detected.
• Some regulated and unregulated plasticizers exceeded European Union limits in packaged oils; prolonged storage in plastic increased levels.

Conclusions:

• The olive oil production process is the primary source of plasticizer contamination.
• While initial contamination is present, processing steps significantly contribute to plasticizer levels.
• Long-term storage of olive oil in plastic bottles should be avoided to minimize further contamination.