Identification of 8-nonenal as an important contributor to "plastic" off-odor in polyethylene packaging.
Food and beverage products stored in polyethylene (PE) containers may absorb some of PE's volatile minor components and become tainted by its characteristic "plastic" odor. High-density PE containers that had imparted "plastic" odor to an experimental corn chip product were analyzed by simultaneous distillation/extraction to remove the volatile components, by gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O) to locate the offending components and by 2-D GC/mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the major "plastic" odor contributor (8-nonenal). The identification was made using high-resolution electron ionization and chemical ionization MS data to narrow the possibilities to two isomers of nonenal, followed by retrieval of reference spectra and confirmatory synthesis. By monitoring 8-nonenal in HDPE containers and corn chips it was demonstrated that 8-nonenal tracks with "plastic" aroma observed in containers and with "plastic" flavor observed in corn chips stored in the containers.
Sanders
Robert A
RA
The Procter & Gamble Company, Winton Hill Business Center, 6300 Center Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224, USA. sanders.ra@pg.com
Zyzak
David V
DV
Morsch
Thomas R
TR
Zimmerman
Steven P
SP
Searles
Peter M
PM
Strothers
Melissa A
MA
Eberhart
B Loye
BL
Woo
Amy K
AK
D000447:Aldehydes / Q000032:analysis*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D018857:Food Packaging; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D010969:Plastics; D020959:Polyethylene
D000447:Aldehydes; D010969:Plastics; C080589:3-nonenal; D020959:Polyethylene