BADGE and bis Phenol A: state of the art and new analytical acquisitions

Current EU legislation concerning migrants from internal coatings into canned food allows compliance tests to be carried out using food simulants. Typical migrants from epoxy-resins are BPA and BADGE derivates, both submitted to SMLs. The aim of this study goes beyond the will to verify the compliance by use of food simulants. For BPA and BADGEs, conventional SPE work-up was replaced with QuEChERS. Two LC-MS/MS methods were optimized, respectively for BPA and BADGEs. Comparison simulants vs foods, for both BADGEs and BPA, in majority of cases reveal discordant results. For BADGEs, relevant simulant’s overestimation appears when compared with foods rich in protein, because “BADGE disapperaring effect”. Several cases of simulant’s BADGEs underestimation also occur. BPA’s behaviour is different than BADGEs one, with overestimation and underestimation not overlapping with BADGEs results. In this context, the usage of testing conformity by simulants only it is not enough to assess the real migration. In summary, to avoid both false positive and negative in conformity testing for migrants in canned food from epoxy-resins, it’s necessary to introduce the habit of performing analysis on food too. This study also takes into account other migrants from resins not submitted to SMLs, because in the Framework Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 there is adducement that food packaging do not transfer any constituents to food in quantities which could endanger human health. Additional survey by HPLC-FLD showed remarkable amounts of other migrating components from coating in food.