Styrene-acrylonitrile-copolymer and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-copolymer: a study on extractable and migratable oligomers

ABSTRACT

Styrene-acrylonitrile-copolymer (SAN) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-copolymer (ABS) are gaining in importance as food contact materials. Oligomers and other non-intentionally added substances can migrate into foodstuffs. Five SAN and four ABS samples from the German market and manufacturers were extracted and the extractable oligomers were characterised by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/ultraviolet detection/chemiluminescence nitrogen detection/fluorescence detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Trimers, formed from acrylonitrile and styrene units, were determined to be the dominating group of extractable oligomers in SAN and ABS in concentrations of about 4900–15800 mg/kg material. Furthermore, styrene-acrylonitrile dimers, styrene oligomers, styrene monomer and ethylbenzene were identified in the sample extracts. Migration testing with three consecutive migrations for multiple use articles was performed for two SAN articles. Migration of trimers into water, 3% acetic acid, 10% and 20% ethanol under hot-fill conditions (70°C, 2 h) was not detectable above 9 µg/dm², while 50% ethanol acting as a food simulant for milk (124 µg/dm² trimers during the third migration) was shown to overestimate the actual migration into milk (< 11 µg/dm² trimers at 70°C, 2 h). 2-Amino-3-methyl-1-naphthalenecarbonitrile (AMNC), an oligomer degradation product and a primary aromatic amine, was detected in all material sample extracts (0.3–17.1 mg/kg material) and was released into food simulants in low amounts (< 0.014 µg/dm² during the third migration into 50% ethanol at 70°C, 2 h).

KEYWORDS:

• Styrene-acrylonitrile-copolymer
• acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-copolymer
• oligomers
• migration
• non-intentionally added substances

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. Karl Speer and his research group for the opportunity to perform HPLC-MSD measurements and Dr. Martin Eckardt for reviewing the earlier versions of this manuscript.

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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Funding

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