Determination of 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene (DIPN) and n-dibutylphthalate (DBP) in food and paper packaging materials from US marketplaces

Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2008 Nov;25(11):1416-23. doi: 10.1080/02652030802163380.

Abstract

A gas chromatography-ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry procedure was developed for the determination of 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene (DIPN) and n-dibutylphthalate (DBP) in domestic and imported paper packages and food sold in US marketplaces. The procedure involved ultrasonic extraction with dichloromethane, followed by analysis with the gas chromatography-ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry. Calibration curves for DIPN and DBP were achieved with concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 10 microg ml(-1) and the corresponding r(2) values were 0.9976 and 0.9956, respectively. In most of the fortified samples the recoveries were higher than 80% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) <10%. Using this procedure, it was found that less than 20% of the tested domestic packages and more than 60% of the tested imported food packages contained both DIPN and DBP. The concentrations of DIPN and DBP ranged from 0.09 to 20 mg kg(-1) and 0.14 to 55 mg kg(-1), respectively, with most of the DINP and DBP levels lower than 20 mg kg(-1). DIPN was not detected (<0.01 mg kg(-1)) in 41 food samples and DBP was only detected in two domestic and four imported food samples with concentrations ranging from <0.01 to 0.81 mg kg(-1).

MeSH terms

  • Commerce
  • Dibutyl Phthalate / analysis*
  • Food Analysis / methods
  • Food Contamination / analysis*
  • Food Packaging*
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Naphthalenes / analysis*
  • Paper
  • Plasticizers / analysis*
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • United States

Substances

  • Naphthalenes
  • Plasticizers
  • 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene
  • Dibutyl Phthalate