Simultaneous determination of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and five photoinitiators in food contact materials using ultrasonic-assisted extraction combined with supercritical fluid chromatography

Abstract

Additives which are used in food contact materials (FCMs) such as plasticizers, antioxidants and photoinitiators (PIs) are potential hazards to humans and the environment. In this research, a simple, rapid, green and sensitive supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) method combined with ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction was proposed for the simultaneous analysis of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and five photoinitiators. In order to achieve the best experimental effect, both the ultrasonic extraction conditions and the SFC parameters were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, six additives were completely separated in 7 min. Meanwhile, a good linearity (R² > 0.999) was obtained in the wide range of 0.10–20 μg mL⁻¹ (except DEHP was 0.5–100 μg mL⁻¹). The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.021–0.150 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.070–0.500 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. Also, the recovery results (91.2–108.3%) and precision values (RSDs < 8.1%, n = 6) were satisfying. The proposed method was applied for the measurement of additives in real samples, which provided a novel alternative for monitoring the quality and safety of FCMs.