Identification and quantification of odorous compounds from adhesives used in food packaging materials by headspace solid phase extraction and headspace solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry

Adhesives are often responsible for off-flavors in food in contact with packaging. The aim of this investigation was to identify by GC-O-MS the odorous compounds in five different types of adhesive (hotmelt, vinyl acetate ethylene, starch, polyvinyl acetate and acrylic) used in food packaging. In order to obtain a substantial number of compounds, they were extracted by two complementary extraction methods: HS-SPE and HS-SPME. Fifteen minutes extraction time using PDMS fiber for hotmelt adhesive and DVD/CAR/PDMS fiber for the other adhesives were the best conditions for defining a representative solvent-free adhesive extract using a rapid and simple D-GC-O technique. Thirty-three compounds were identified by GC-O-MS. These include butyric acid, acetic acid, methyl butyrate, 1-butanol and nonanal, which were present in most of the adhesives under study producing cheesy, rancid, sour, medicinal and green aromas, respectively. The concentrations were determined, the most abundant compound being acetic acid with concentrations from 22.9 to 8930 mu gg(-1) of adhesive. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.