Application of High-performance Liquid Chromatography to Caprolactam Migration Testing of Food Utensils, Containers, and Packaging

We assessed the applicability of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to the official testing method for the migration of caprolactam (CPL) from food utensils, containers, and packaging made from polyamide (PA). Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) columns coated with unmodified silica, carbamoyl, and aminopropyl were used. Water and acetonitrile (ACN) were used as the mobile phase, and the analytical conditions were optimized. The test solution was diluted 10-fold with ACN, and standard solutions were prepared using 98% ACN. We validated using HPLC as limit testing and quantitative testing methods. Accuracy parameters corresponding to trueness, repeatability, and reproducibility (as intermediate precision) satisfied the target values in both cases, indicating that this method demonstrates good performance as a testing method.