Traditional petroleum-based plastic is a well-known environmental contaminant. Bio-based plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) are marketed as “green alternatives” to traditional plastics. During manufacturing, chemical additives such as bisphenols are incorporated into both PLA and traditional plastics to give them different properties. Previous research has demonstrated that for traditional plastics used in food storage, bisphenols can migrate out of the plastic and into the stored foods and beverages. This is a concern because bisphenols are classified as endocrine disrupting compounds. Quantitative data on bisphenol migration from bio-based plastics during food storage conditions has not yet been reported. The goal of this research is to identify and quantify bisphenols that can migrate out of PLA during simulate food contact. In this research, PLA cups and straws were taken through migration tests based on FDA recommended methods. Samples were incubated in different simulant solutions to represent sugary, acidic, alcoholic, and fatty foods and beverages. The samples were cleaned up using a liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed for bisphenols migration using HPLC. Current results of this research suggest that bisphenol S (BPS) can migrate from PLA in sugary and acidic foods or beverages under extreme conditions. This is significant because previous research has suggested that BPS is commonly used as a replacement for BPA in BPA-free plastics, despite having similar endocrine-disrupting properties.

Analysis of additive migration from bio-based plastic during simulated food contact

2019 Spring National Meeting

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