Recycling post-consumer polyolefins for food contact material, considering the Brazilian scenario: analytical determinations and risk assessment of migration of intentionally added substances and non-intentionally added substances

Abstract

In Brazil, there is still a need for advancements in recycled materials intended for food contact. To address this, a series of studies is required to certify the safety of recycled material concerning the migration of intentionally added substances (IAS) and non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). Regarding NIAS, these substances may originate from the processes of degradation, impurities, or material recycling and must be assessed as they can pose a toxicological risk. Consequently, the aim of this project is to evaluate the migration of IAS/NIAS from recycled polyolefins (high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP)), for the assessment of their potential use as food contact materials (FCM). To achieve this, studies involving extraction and headspace of the materials will be conducted, along with migration using aqueous, acidic, alcoholic, fatty, and dry food simulants. Additionally, sample preparation techniques such as SPME and liquid extraction will be employed to concentrate and compatibilize migrants for subsequent detection using liquid or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QToF-MS/MS and GC-MS). Finally, risk assessments of the identified compounds will be conducted, considering the threshold of toxicological concern. The results of this project will provide analytical data to support the safety of materials for food contact obtained from post-consumer polyolefins. (AU)