The extractable non-volatile organic compounds from PLA/PBAT-starch blend biodegradable food contact materials and the effect of polymeric contents: Insights from chemical space.

Abstract

The burgeoning demand for biodegradable food contact materials (FCMs) based on polylactic acid (PLA), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and starch arouses increasing chemical safety concerns, yet the non-volatile organic compounds (NVOCs) therein remain insufficiently investigated. Herein, 574 NVOCs were identified in 24 batches of blend pellets with designated polymeric contents and 46 batches of PLA/PBAT-starch-based food contact articles (FCAs) by dissolution-precipitation coupled with untargeted liquid chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry, and exhibited characteristic distribution patterns in the molecular-descriptor-derived chemical spaces. Chemometric analyses further identified the oligomers as essential markers to differentiate samples of various categories. Furthermore, the contents of 142 NVOCs were found to correlate with PBAT contents, due to either inherent presence in the polymers or starch-induced transformation. In addition, hazard identification unveiled that molecule complexity (FMF) of the NVOCs was a statistically significant indicator of chemical hazards, and subsequent risk assessment identified 16 potentially high-risk NVOCs, wherein 14 of them are subjected to carcinogenic or genotoxic risk, and 10 of them are identified via migration assays. This work presents an effective paradigm for uncovering the sophisticated chemical profile of biodegradable FCMs, thus being beneficial to fostering the chemical safety of FCMs and related products.