Analytical procedure for the determination of Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate (LAE) to assess the kinetics and specific migration from a new antimicrobial active food packaging

Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate (LAE) is a cationic tensoactive compound, soluble in water, with a wide activity spectrum against moulds and bacteria. LAE has been incorporated as antimicrobial agent into packaging materials for food contact and these materials require to comply with the specific migration criteria. In this paper, one analytical procedure has been developed and optimized for the analysis of LAE in food simulants after the migrations tests. It consists of the formation of an ionic pair between LAE and the inorganic complex Co(SCN)42− in aqueous solution, followed by a liquid–liquid extraction in a suitable organic solvent and further UV–Vis absorbance measurement. In order to evaluate possible interferences, the ionic pair has been also analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with UV–Vis detection. Both procedures provided similar analytical characteristics, with linear ranges from 1.10 to 25.00 mg kg−1, linearity higher than 0.9886, limits of detection and quantification of 0.33 and 1.10 mg kg−1, respectively, accuracy better than 1% as relative error and precision better than 3.6% expressed as RSD. Optimization of analytical techniques, thermal and chemical stability of LAE, as well as migration kinetics of LAE from experimental active packaging are reported and discussed.

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► Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate (LAE) has been incorporated as antimicrobial agent into active food packaging materials.
► Ionic pair formation-based analytical methods have been developed and applied for LAE determination at mg kg−1 level.
► UV–Vis spectrophotometry and HPLC have been used.
► LAE stability and migration kinetics tests to aqueous food simulants have been assessed.
► One of the prototypes of active films is a very promising as antimicrobial active packaging for improving the shelf life of foodstuffs.