title: Understanding the contamination of food with mineral oil: the need for a confirmatory analytical and procedural approach.
abstract: The contamination of food by mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) found in packaging is a long-running concern. A main source of MOHs in foods is the migration of mineral oil from recycled board into the packed food products. Consequently, the majority of food manufacturers have taken protective measures, e.g., by using virgin board instead of recycled fibres and, where feasible, introducing functional barriers to mitigate migration. Despite these protective measures, MOHs may still be observed in low amounts in certain food products, albeit due to different entry points across the food supply chain. In this study, we successfully apply gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to demonstrate, through marker compounds and the profile of the hydrocarbon response, the possible source of contamination using mainly chocolate and cereals as food matrices. The conventional liquid chromatography-one-dimensional GC coupled to a flame ionisation detector (LC-GC-FID) is a useful screening method, but in cases of positive samples it must be complemented by a confirmatory method such as, for example, GC-MS, allowing a verification of mineral oil contamination. The procedural approach proposed in this study entails profile analysis, marker identification, and interpretation and final quantification.
authors.affiliation: a Nestlé Quality Assurance Center , Orbe , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lionel W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Spack
authors.affiliation: b Nestlé Quality Assurance Center , Aubigny , France.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leszczyk
authors.affiliation: c Institute of Food Safety and Analytical Sciences, Nestlé Research Centre , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.affiliation: c Institute of Food Safety and Analytical Sciences, Nestlé Research Centre , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Simian
authors.affiliation: d Swiss Quality Testing Services , Dietikon , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gude
authors.affiliation: c Institute of Food Safety and Analytical Sciences, Nestlé Research Centre , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Stadler
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D018857:Food Packaging; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008899:Mineral Oil / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008899:Mineral Oil
keywords: GC-MS; LC-GC-FID; Mineral oil-saturated hydrocarbons; cardboard; cereal; chocolate; cocoa-based products; foodstuff; mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons; packaging; vegetable sausage