Characterization of the Migration of Bisphenol A and F Diglycidyl Ethers from Epoxy-coated Containers to Food Simulants

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the migration of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) and its chlorinated and hydrolyzed derivatives and bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE) from the inner surface coatings of food containers into three food simulants including 3% (w/v) aqueous acetic acid, 10% (v/v) aqueous ethanol, and sunflower oil. After a storage period of 429 days from 155 to 584 days, BFDGE, a prohibited chemical by the European legislation, was not detected in any samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. However, BADGE, BADGE.H₂O, BADGE.HCl.H₂O, and BADGE.2H₂O were found at levels below the European Union limits. Conducted analyses using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode showed that epoxy–phenolic lacquers may be used as food container coatings. Additional work using atomic force microscopy did not reveal the signs of degradation of the inner coatings in contact with the simulants.

KEYWORDS:

• Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
• attenuated total reflectance (ATR)
• bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE)
• bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE)
• Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
• high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Industry (R&D) Project: PNRI (INRAP-PACKTEC). We like to thank the General Director of Innovation and Technological Development Department (Direction Générale de l’Innovation et du Développement Technologique). We are grateful to Dr. Karim Hosni for his valuable contribution to improve the quality of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Industry (R&D) Project: PNRI (INRAP-PACKTEC) [Grant Number PNRI-PACKTEC/2013].