Recent advances in LC-MS analysis of food-packaging contaminants

The supply of safe and high-quality foodstuffs relies on the efficient protection of food from deterioration. However, all food-packaging materials can release small amounts of their chemical constituents when they touch food, and any substance that migrates from the packaging into the food is of concern if it could pose health problems to the consumer.The purpose of this review is to describe recent advances in the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of food-packaging contaminants since 2009, focusing on some relevant families of compounds (e.g., bisphenol A, bisphenol A diglycidyl ethers and related compounds, UV-ink photoinitiators, perfluorinated compounds, and phthalates).

► Recent advances in LC-MS analysis of food packaging contaminants are presented.
► Main problems in the sample treatment and LC-MS analysis are discussed.
► Sources of contamination and blanks are addressed by means of relevant applications.
► Concentration levels of food packaging contaminants in food are given and discussed.