Migration and stability studies of Irganox 1010 and its degradation product 7,9-di-tert-butyl-1-oxaspiro(4,5)deca-6,9-diene-2,8-dione (Arvin 8) in food simulants and orange juice

Antioxidants are intentionally added to polymeric materials to prevent them from oxidative degradation during production, processing, and final use. Besides their beneficial properties, antioxidants can degrade to various non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). In this context, the chemical nature of food simulants was found to have a remarkable impact on the migration behavior of the NIAS 7,9-di- tert -butyl-1-oxaspiro(4,5)deca-6,9-diene-2,8-dione (known as Arvin 8, Ar8) by changing its molecular structure. Hence, liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to investigate the migration and stability of Ar8 in real food compared to food simulants. Specifically, cloudy and cleared orange juice were compared to their assigned food simulants 50% ethanol (EtOH) and 4% acetic acid (HAc). Surprisingly, Ar8 was more stable in cloudy than in cleared orange juice, and more resilient in juice than in the assigned simulants. Migration into food simulants was higher than into food when considering not only Ar8 but also its conversion products. Migration tests with Irganox 1010 (Ir1010) showed that this nonpolar antioxidant only migrated into simulants with a high ethanol content. Stability tests with Ir1010 in 95% EtOH showed no formation of Ar8. Instead, five other degradation products were detected, none of which were observed in cloudy orange juice. These findings highlight the necessity of collecting migration and stability data of NIAS in real food to avoid misinterpretation, as food simulants may alter the molecular structure of migrants, whereas food may not.