Determination of partition coefficient of migrants in food simulants by the PRV method

Partition coefficients of six migrants between four simulated foods (water, 10% ethanol, 3% acetic acid, 95% ethanol) and air were determined by the phase ratio variation (PRV) method using headspace analyses by gas chromatography. The migrants were ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, propyl alcohol, butyraldehyde, acetaldehyde and acetonitrile. The results showed that migrant absorption by the four food simulants was highly dependent on the physicochemical properties of migrants and foods, such as polarity, solubility and hydrogen-bonding.