Targeted and untargeted data-dependent experiments for characterization of polycarbonate food-contact plastics by ultra high performance chromatography coupled to quadrupole orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry

• Composition of polycarbonate intended to come in contact with food was studied.
• High resolution mass-spectrometry based on orbitrap technology was employed.
• Targeted analysis allowed the identification of plastic additives.
• Untargeted analysis permitted to identify colorants and degradation products.

Materials that come in contact with foods are potential sources of chemical food contamination. Consequently, characterization of their composition is of paramount importance considering the possible occurrence of several unknown molecules such as non-intentionally added substance (NIAS), residual monomers, degradation products, plastic additives and organic colorants. Previous studies concerning the characterization in terms of composition are focalized in the recognition of additives. To the best author's knowledge there are no scientific data about the composition of a plastic material in terms of colorants.In this work, an analytical method employing capillary ultra high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–ESI Q-orbitrap) was exploited for characterization of polycarbonate for food contact material. Data-dependent experiments for targeted and untargeted analysis were employed after a total dissolution of polycarbonate samples and extraction of its components. The presence of common additives such as antioxidants and UV absorbers was confirmed by targeted analysis, while, the untargeted approach combined with the high mass accuracy of orbitrap technology allowed to identify for the first time some polycarbonate degradation products and the organic dyes effectively used for the coloration of plastic objects intended to come in contact with food. The present study shows the high potential of this technique in the field of material characterization aimed at food safety evaluation.