Analytical methods for the determination of phthalates in food

Nowadays, phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticisers in the manufacture of plastics, as a result of which they can appear in foods since they have a certain migration capacity. Their analysis is not easy since, apart from the complexity of food samples, they are ubiquitous in any analytical laboratory and suitable precautions and strategies should be taken into account. The aim of this short review article is to provide a general vision of the different analytical methods that have been published up to now concerning the analysis of PAEs in food samples.