Migration of Novolac Glycidyl Ether (NOGE) and its Chlorohydrins into Aqueous Canned Foods

摘要

Migration of NOGE derivatives into aqueous samples (such as sweet corn) was investigated and a method devised for a control directed to an SML of 1 mg/kg for the NOGE chlorohydrins < 1000 Dalton, as it might be imposed by the EU (epoxy compounds are hydrolyzed in aqueous foods). Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was used for the preseparation primarily into a 2- and a 3-ring fraction. The main analysis involved reversed phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. A procedure is proposed for efficient screening of samples. Even in foods fairly free of fat, the migration of the 2-ring NOGE components easily exceeds 50. Only few percents of the 3-ring components are transferred, but considering their often large concentration in the coating, this may still correspond to several hundreds of μg/kg in the food. The transfer of 4-ring components is negligible unless the sample contains some fat or oil (such as tuna in water).