Determination of 15 Restricted Substances in Plastic-Packaged Food by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Chemicals migrating from plastic and take-out food packaging can leach into food, posing inherent health risks to consumers. Given the ubiquitous use of plastic packaging in daily diets, reliable analytical methods for detecting restricted substances in food contact materials are imperative for safeguarding public health.

A novel analytical method, coupling gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with liquid-liquid extraction for sample pretreatment, was established for the simultaneous separation and quantification of 15 common restricted substances (10 plasticizers, 1 antioxidant, and 4 ultraviolet absorbers) migrating from food plastic packaging materials into food products.

The method exhibited excellent linearity (correlation coefficients, r > 0.99) across wide concentration ranges, with limits of detection (LODs) ranging from 0.005 to 0.046 mg/L. Validation data showed average recoveries of 72.30%-109.03% and relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 6) of 1.13%-26.50%, confirming its analytical reliability.

This method enables rapid and accurate determination of the 15 target restricted substances, facilitating migration monitoring in food plastic packaging and strengthening technical support for food safety assessment in daily and take-out food contexts.