Quantifying trace volatile aromatics (BTEX-styrene) in foodstuffs caused by migration from packaging using extraction and enrichment techniques to enhance GC–MS analysis

This study demonstrates the Centri^® sample extraction and enrichment platform’s unique multi-step enrichment feature to enhance the discovery of trace-level, packaging-derived contaminants in food and beverage samples by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Common volatile aromatic impurities (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and styrene) were analysed in tomato paste, orange juice and coffee using headspace– trap mode, with and without multi-step enrichment. Limits of detection were found to be in the order of 0.03 (BTEX) to 0.4 ppb (styrene) from a single vial; however, using multistep enrichment, the detection limits were determined to be four times lower.