Migration studies of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) in polyethylene extrusion-coated paperboard food packaging

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2010-06, Vol.27 (6), p.884-891
• Main Authors: Pace, Gregory V., Hartman, Thomas G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-MCPD; alpha-Chlorohydrin; Animals; beverages; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Carcinogens - toxicity; extraction; Food Analysis; food contact materials; Food engineering; Food industries; Food packaging; Food Packaging - standards; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; GC/MS; General aspects; Glycerol - analogs & derivatives; Glycerol - analysis; Glycerol - toxicity; Handling, storage, packaging, transport; health significance; Humans; Manufacturing; migration; packaging paper and board; Paper - standards; Polyethylene; Proteins; Rats; Solvents; Soy Foods - analysis; Vegetables - chemistry
• ISSN: 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/19440041003636653

The manufacturing process of paperboard food packaging can produce small quantities of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD or 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol) when wet-strength resins containing epichlorohydrin are used. 3-MCPD is from the same family as 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP), which is known to cause cancer in animals. 3-MCPD has been found in acid hydrolyzed vegetable protein, Asian sauces and paperboard for food contact. In this investigation, we conducted extraction studies to measure 3-MCPD migration into food simulant solvents from the food contact side of polyethylene extrusion-coated paperboard beverage cartons and aqueous extractions of cut pieces from the entire paperboard. We demonstrate that 3-MCPD confirmed present at concentrations up to 9.9 mg kg −1 within the paperboard matrix does not migrate through the polyethylene-coated food contact surface. The aqueous extraction of the entire paperboard and food contact side extractions with aqueous/acidic food simulants were performed using US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Commission (EU) migration testing protocols. We also show that no significant amount of 3-MCPD migrates through the unskived edges on the inside seam of the paperboard structure. The methodology for the aqueous and migration cell extractions using GC-MS analyses was validated with a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.009 mg kg −1 and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.005 mg kg −1 .