Analysis of Vinyl Chloride Leached from Metal Food Can by GC

Introduction

Heightened concern for food safety and public health has brought greater attention to residual organic solvents in food packaging materials. Individual standards and specifications as well as testing methods were established for each type of material used in these food packaging materials in Japan’s “Food Sanitation Act-Standards and Criteria for Food and Food Additives, etc. ChapterIIIApparatus and Containers and Packaging.” It is common practice for metal cans used as food containers to be coated internally with synthetic resin materials consisting of epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), etc. These materials then come into direct contact with the food contained therein. Internally coated cans are subject to a separate standard which requires that they undergo leachate testing as the established test method for phenol, formaldehyde, evaporation residue, epichlorohydrin, and vinyl chloride. This Application News introduces an example of analysis for leached vinyl chloride from the synthetic resin coating obtained from the vinyl liner of a metal can used for foods.

August 30, 2011 GMT