Supercritical fluid extraction of potential migrants from paper and board intended for use as food packaging materials

The optimization of supercritical fluid extraction using CO2 for the extraction of contaminants in 15 samples of recycled paper and board (P&B) has been studied. An experimental design was used for simultaneous optimization of the variables involved in both the extraction step and the collection of the extract. Methanol was used as modifier. Several plastisizers such as diethyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, dioctyl adipate, and diethylhexyl phthalate (from 2 to 100 microg/g of paper) were found in the recycled P&B samples. A discriminate analysis applied to all results obtained allow us to classify the samples in three different groups according to the content of recycled pulp (0, 10-30, and > 80% of recycled pulp), the sample thickness (from <300 to >600 microm), and the surface treatment of the paper. The analytical behavior and the results are discussed.