Occurrence of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate (Texanol?) in foods packed in polystyrene and polypropylene cups

After simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE) of foods packed in polystyrene (n = 77) and polypropylene cups (n = 42) from 61 different suppliers, coupled capillary gas chromatography–mass spectrometric (HRGC–MS) analyses indicated the presence of diastereomers of 2,2,4-trimethyl–1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate (TMPD-MIB; Texanol®), a known coalescent of paints and printing inks. The contaminant was found in 55 and 50% of the polystyrene and polypropylene packed samples, respectively. Amounts ranged 1.2–64.5 µg kg−1 in polystyrene cups (average 25.1 µg kg−1) and 0.9–45.7 µg kg−1 in polypropylene cups (average 10.8 µg kg−1). The origin of Texanol® in the printed plastic cups was demonstrated by separate HRGC–MS analysis, showing amounts in the higher µg kg−1 range. In addition, the presence of two pairs of enantiomers, both found to be racemic by enantioselective multi-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (enantio-MDGC–MS), excluded it being of natural origin. The detection limit of overall ...