Electrochemical determination of volatile markers of bio-based plastics contaminants

Currently, popular packages, containers and packaging made of biological materials can be a source of undesirable organic contaminants such as total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and carcinogenic formaldehyde (HCHO) as these compounds can easily get into food. The paper presents a proposal to use an original measuring device based on electrochemical sensors DFR-08605 and SGP30 to determine the content of TVOC and HCHO released during heating of the above-mentioned materials. The proposed device was used to monitor HCHO during heating of food contact materials: bio-PET (bio-polyethylene terephthalate), bio-PE (bio-ethylene), EPP (expanded polypropylene) and PLA (polylactide). The obtained results were compared with the results of precise GC-ECD (gas chromatography with electron capture detector) analyses. The possibility of using electrochemical sensors for preliminary analyses of packaging materials was confirmed.